Collision
by kasey8473
Summary: AU: After the birth of Dean and Jo's daughter, the present Winchester family baby sit some strangely familiar teens on Christmas Eve while their future counterparts endure a rather unorthodox family visit. Part of the "Lost and Found" series.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Collision  
Chapter: One  
Summary: AU: After the birth of Dean and Jo's daughter, the present Winchester family baby sit some strangely familiar teens on Christmas Eve while their future counterparts endure a rather unorthodox family visit. Part of the "Lost and Found" series.  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke. No disrespect is intended with this work of fan fiction.  
Notes: This story comes after 'Into The Woods' and before 'Be Mine, Valentine'.

* * *

**In the Present:**

"Don't you think you might have gone overboard on the presents this year, Jo?" Gwen Campbell Winchester slapped some tape on another wrapped package and sighed, looking at the mound of presents they'd wrapped since the kids had been put to bed. It was nearly midnight and they were finally nearing the end.

They'd had a half hour break to hear all about Heather Holt's holiday plans and accept a new job from her. She was a former high school nemesis of Jo's, but they were pretty much on friendly terms. Gwen would say they were good friends, but Jo refused to use the word 'friend' in regard to Heather.

Heather was dating some literary agent in New York and had wanted them to do a background check on him, with their usual attention to anything supernatural in nature. After hanging up, they'd done a quick check on the name and breathed a sigh of relief when it wasn't Crowley's picture that came up. That was all they'd need right now, Heather dating Crowley.

Then there'd been the twenty minute holiday call from Garth, where he talked up some vacation he and his girlfriend were going on. He was still dating Becky Rosen and the two appeared to be blissfully happy. Gwen was glad because if Becky was ecstatic over her boyfriend, she wasn't obsessing about Sam. As much, anyway.

After that had been the call from Marissa, the fan who'd latched on to Jo at that convention they'd ended up attending. Gwen had an ongoing theory that Jo felt sorry for Marissa and that was the reason she tolerated her annoying habits. Marissa wanted Jo to attend the upcoming convention and do a skit of some kind with her during the costume contest. Jo had declined, citing a heavy workload and motherhood in general.

Sam and Dean were busy watching a Die Hard marathon and drinking eggnog that had more "extra flavoring" than eggnog. Dean had filled a platter of cookies from Ellen's recent Christmas cookie baking spree (twelve kinds of cookies) and was eating those while Sam ate popcorn. Gwen wished she was down there with them instead of trying to help Jo get everything wrapped.

Jo scrunched her nose up, rolled out a length of ribbon and cut it with her scissors. "I don't go overboard. That's my mother's thing. I will never, ever be like that."

"Yeah, but…." She gestured at the pile.

"I just didn't want Jack to feel neglected since we have Allie now and I know she's getting a butt load of presents from mom." Jo added plain ribbon, several bows, and curling ribbon to the package before labeling it. "Okay, I think we're done with the kids' presents. Hand me those bags over to your right."

Leaning down, Gwen attempted to pick one up and ended up dragging it over to Jo instead. It was the same with the others. "What's in these, bricks?"

She peered into the big bag. "A new tool set for Dean with all the fancy gadgets he could ever want. I got him a drill that will go through concrete and has a bunch of attachments. Then there's the ammo I thought I'd wrap up. I couldn't find a gift bag big enough for some of it, so I thought I'd do his usual wrapping trick and wrap them in several different boxes, each getting bigger, until he thinks he's getting a large appliance."

"Don't forget to completely cover one box in duck tape. Two layers of tape. Then hide his pocket knife before we start opening. Let's see how he likes breaking a nail." Gwen had once been the recipient of one of his deviously wrapped gifts.

"Sam said he'd help wrap this stuff up later, so I'll just wrap the bullets now. I got your present and Sam's wrapped a few days ago while you were out. Mind carrying these down for me while I finish?"

It didn't take Jo long to finish wrapping and, as Gwen finally went to bed, she had the feeling that this nice calm Christmas wasn't going to last. But how was it going to go wrong? Castiel had the angels celebrating the holiday themselves (a full ten days of parties, talks on the subject of Christmas, and various demonstrations, culminating in one big heaven-wide office party Christmas Day), Balthazar and Atropos were in Greece causing trouble, and Teddy the Trickster and Sophie were doing some ritual to celebrate her pregnancy (a strange thing that lasted five days involving the horns from a bull, laurel leaves, oysters, and Lachesis, the middle Fate). Who was left?

She went to sleep trying to figure out just how their plans would be disrupted, because they were always disrupted one way or another. It wouldn't be a Winchester holiday without it.

* * *

**In the Future**:

"I don't think this is a good idea, Sean."

"Be quiet, Allie, and let me think."

Jack Winchester, oldest child of Dean and Jo, cast a doubtful glance at the battered book Sean was studying. "I don't know, man, I think Allie may be right on this one."

"I think we have everything." Sean finished setting up and cast a glance at the closed door.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Allie crossed her arms. "Where did you say you found this book?"

"It was in the attic," Sean replied in a distracted tone. "It was in a trunk with a bunch of other books like it and an old jacket."

"You mean in the locked attic you have to take everything out of the linen closet to get into?" Jack scratched a finger along his temple. "And then pick the lock that uncle Sam rotates every couple months with a different type?"

"That's the one," Sean replied. "It was one of those choose your own combination ones and dad shouldn't have used mom's birthday. It was the first one I tried."

"Maybe we shouldn't do this." The irony of Jack himself saying that wasn't lost on him. He was usually the one pushing to do things like this.

Sean looked up. "It's just a summoning. Look, both your folks got to know their dads and my mom never did. This'll call his spirit down and recreate his body so he's corporeal and she'll get to meet him and talk to him like he's real and not only a spirit. She'll be able to hug him if she wants. I'm telling you, it's the perfect Christmas gift."

"Except the part where your dad kicks your ass about it and Allie and I get in trouble too because we helped you."

"Whoever wrote this book and the others really seemed to know his or her stuff. It'll be fine."

Sean's definition of 'fine' appeared to differ greatly from Jack's. "Uh-huh."

"You're so whacked." Allie rolled her eyes.

"Please, Jack. You're really good at Latin."

With reluctance, Jack took the book. He was good at pronunciation, not actually understanding it. Besides, he, too, had a bad feeling about this. Dad always said mysterious books were a bad thing, especially when they'd been hidden. Considering the attic had a lock on it, the book could definitely be considered hidden.

And now Sean was doing puppy dog eyes.

"Okay, fine. But if this goes sideways, it's on you…."

* * *

John Winchester found himself standing in the snow before a two story house. It was bitterly cold and he hugged himself. His breath puffed in the cold air and he reflected a moment on how he could be breathing when he knew he was dead. The last thing he remembered was reminiscing with Mary in their own little corner of what he assumed was heaven. She'd enjoyed hearing all about Sam and Dean's childhoods.

Why was he here and how did he have a body?

There were lights on every corner of the house, bathing the yard in pale light and illuminating what looked like some sort of obstacle course.

He returned his attention to the house. Against the curtain of one upstairs window, he saw a shadow. Lights were on on both levels and someone had strung Christmas lights along the porch roof. One strand hung down loose, swaying a little in the icy breeze.

From slightly behind him came a voice, one he recognized, though it had been years since he'd heard it. "Hey, John. Any idea where we are?"

"Bill?"

It was Bill Harvelle who came to stand directly beside him. He nodded. "Yup. It's me."

"Back from the dead."

"Apparently."

"Me, too." Surely this wasn't something Dean and Sam had done? They shook hands and John said the one thing he'd been wanting to tell Bill since his death. "I'm sorry. For getting you killed, I mean." Bill's death had been heavy on his mind for a long time.

Bill shrugged. "It's how our lives are and it wasn't your fault. We both made mistakes that trip. You get the hellspawn we were after?"

"Eventually."

"Good." Bill took a few steps to one side, then back. "Any idea what year it is?"

"Not a one, but it's getting too cold to stand here much longer."

From behind them came the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow. A third man approached, one John didn't know. He was tall and dark haired.

Bill appeared to recognize him, grinning and holding out his hand for the other man to take. "Aaron! You, too? Now I'm really curious what's going on."

"Hi, Bill." Aaron jerked his head John's way. "Who's this?"

"Aaron Bennett, John Winchester. Aaron's a buddy of mine from a long time back. John here got into the life after his wife died. He's dead, too."

With a nod, Aaron said, "So we were all dead?" A thoughtful gleam slid into his eyes. "Why are we alive again now?"

"Just what we were wondering." John gestured at the house. "Best guess is it has something to do with whoever is in that house."

"Let's check it out." Aaron started towards the driveways.

There were four cars parked in the driveway and ruts along one side of the drive, indicating that area was routinely used as a turnaround. As they drew closer to the open garage door, John squinted. "Hold up." It looked like the Impala sitting in it.

What remained of her, rather. In the light from the corner of the house and at the garage door, he saw that she was well-worn and very old. A work area was set up nearby. The house, in his opinion, had to be either Dean or Sam's. He was almost afraid to go up the steps and see.

"John?" Bill cocked his head.

"Expect anything, Bill. When I died, this car was Dean's and it wasn't nearly this old."

At the front door, John was the one to knock. He steeled himself as he heard a feminine voice saying to 'hold on a sec'. It opened to reveal a pretty blond woman who was many years older than he remembered her being. John smiled. It was something of a relief to see Jo here. "Hi, Jo. Dean or Sam here?"

Her gaze swept the three of them and he was impressed by how smoothly she swept up the shotgun beside the door and leveled it at them. She'd reached for it as soon as her gaze had slid across the three of them. "Dean! Sam!" She focused on John's left, where Aaron stood, her eyes widening slightly. "Gwen!"

Bill and Aaron pressed closer and he heard them whispering to each other.

"Jo? My daughter was named Jo. She was blond, too. Could it be…."

"Mine was named Gwen. Family name."

Dean, Sam, and a woman appeared from the right, both men older than John remembered. Just how much time had passed? He could see a bit of gray in Dean's stubble and a sprinkling of gray in Sam's hair. Just how much time had passed since his death?

"Mia," Aaron said, stepping back and giving John some room. Bill also moved back.

"Dad?" Dean exchanged a glance with Sam. "And Bill and Aaron."

"You know me? How?" Aaron's question was curious.

Reaching for a basket, Sam pulled out a flask. "Drinks for all, then we'll get the rest of the tests out of the way. You check out -"

"-you come in," Dean finished for him.

Jo kept the gun pointed at them, careful to keep from pointing it at Dean or Sam.

"You look like Ellen right now," John remarked before taking a sip from the flask. "She pointed a gun at me like that a few times."

She didn't reply, though her lips pursed. He hadn't expected her to say anything.

Gwen looked up at the ceiling. "Castiel, could you come down for a bit? We have a situation."

Who was Castiel and why was she asking for him by staring at the ceiling?

When they'd all cleared a battery of tests, some John wasn't even familiar with, John, Aaron, and Bill were allowed to enter the house.

"Jack, Sean, and Allie get your butts down here now," Sam's bellow rang about the room, his tone brooking no disobedience.

Three teenagers came down the stairs and John figured out the relationships in the household. Jack and Allie looked like Dean and Jo while Sean was the spitting image of Sam as a teen right down to the gangly look. Sam had gone through a long gangly phase with each big growth spurt. All three had guilty expressions.

"What did you three do?" Dean crossed his arms.

"Answer your father, Jack." Jo set the shotgun aside. "We need to know now so we can clean up."

"Sean?" Gwen leaned against the couch and crossed her ankles. "Come on. Out with it. Jack's the ringleader, but you do the running and fetching."

Dean's glance slid to the young blond girl. "Allison Elizabeth, you'd better start talking." When the three remained silent, he added, "Who's ready to start losing privileges? Phones first."

"It was just a spell," Sean said. "I thought -"

A man appeared with a dark haired woman. He pointed at Jack and Allie. "Now, Abby! He's coming!"

She put an arm about the two and disappeared with them.

"Cas? What's going on?" Dean reached for Cas, but he pulled back.

"There's no time, Dean. They need to be extracted before he gets here."

"Who? Before who gets here?"

"Jael will be here as soon as possible. He'll answer your questions until I can return." Grasping Sean, and with an annoyed expression, he too faded from view.

"Extract them?" Sam moved to a case on the wall, dialed the combination on the lock and opened it, pulling out guns and handing them to Dean and Gwen. "Do you remember the days when we didn't spend half our time cleaning up the situations our kids get into?"

"Barely," Gwen replied.

"I sort of do…." Jo squinted and shrugged.

"Do you remember when we swore our kids would be nothing like us," Dean asked with a wry expression.

Jo snorted. "I told you that was a pipe dream. You're the one wanted a little girl just like me. How's that working out for you, sweetheart?"

Beside John, Bill stifled a laugh.

Aaron stepped towards Gwen. "You look -"

"I know. Just like Mia. Freakish. When we're through whatever this crisis is they caused, we'll tell you all about it, okay, but until then, back the hell up."

"Sure." Holding up his hands, he backed up to stand with John and Bill again.

"Anything you want us to do, Dean?" John waited for Dean's reply.

"Don't get killed again before we can catch-up?"

"Can't guarantee it."

There was a strange sensation in the room, as if all the air had been sucked out of the room and as suddenly puffed back in with a 'pop'.

Three women came through the door into what looked like the kitchen. The oldest of the three was in a suit, the youngest in 'business casual', and the middle woman was in a flowing skirt and peasant blouse.

"Clotho, what's going on." Jo asked.

Clotho? Where had John heard that name before?

"Clotho the Fate?" Aaron stepped to the wall and leaned back against it, arms crossed. "Of the three Fates in myth?"

The suited woman gave him a sharp look, cocked a brow, then adjusted her glasses as she and the others two made a circle around Dean. "Trouble, Jo. That's what's going on." Her attention returned to Aaron. "Quite a lot of trouble, if you ask me."

What were the Fates doing here? And when had Dean, Sam, and Jo become friendly with them? There seemed to be quite a lot they needed to catch up on.

"We sort of got that," Sam replied. "Who's coming? Cas said -"

"Hello, Dean." Another man appeared at the far end of the room. The man was tall and lean, yet something about him indicated a powerful physical presence. He was dark haired and dark eyed, a wild, alien air about him, as if he was a wild animal in human form. His clothes had a medieval appearance. "Long time. Did you think I'd forgotten you?"

"I'd hoped," he murmured, chin lifting a fraction.

"It's not often a firstborn son escapes me. I was terribly disappointed. You found your way back. And now you have a son, a firstborn, and he's the right age to train up properly for my guard. Where is Jack?" He glanced about the room. "I've been speaking to him through his dreams, giving him notice of his contract with me."

"Contract? There is no contract."

"I beg to differ. You were taken and you escaped. You didn't serve out your time, so someone must. He's a good age."

The Fates moved closer to Dean, the eldest spreading her arms wide as though her stance would stop the man's advance.

"Come now, Clotho. Didn't you see this in the threads of their lives? Surely you did. You see everything from start to finish, those threads that can change ever so slightly."

Her lips pressed tight together. "You're not supposed to be here."

"You're the cause of Jack's nightmares the past year." Dean leaned around Clotho.

Jo joined the Fates, linking her arms with Clotho and the middle Fate. Dean stepped behind Jo, resting a hand on her waist. Defiance slid across Jo's face. "You can't have my son _or_ my husband."

"We'll see about that. Perhaps I'll take your lovely daughter to be a maid for my Queen."

There was the clearing of a throat. At the back of the room, standing with an almost bored air, was another man, also thin and tall, though his sense of power was more than physical. "I have prior claim to the souls of the Winchester family, Oberon. All of them."

Oberon? The fairy king? John wiggled a finger in one ear, certain he'd heard wrong. Had to be some kind of demon, because fairies existing as well as everything else John knew of was just too outrageous to think of. He glanced at Bill.

Bill glanced back, shrugged, and returned his gaze to the scene before them.

"Really, Death," Oberon replied without looking away from Dean. "Tell me…where were you when I snatched Dean up years ago? Weren't so concerned about the Winchester souls then, were you?"

Death strode forward. "Titania chooses her own attendants as I recall. Do you not remember long ago when you presumed to choose some for her? My reapers had quite a day in your realm mopping up your mess. Leave this family alone. They're mine and mine alone."

"Or what?"

"I am Death. Eventually, I meet all living creatures, even those in your realm. How safe is your family from my reach?"

Now Oberon looked at Death. "It's one boy."

"I've waited too long for any of their souls to let even one of them go."

Oberon's lips contorted into a snarl.

A thin smile pulled at Death's lips a second before the fairy king attacked. The two disappeared from view.

"Damn it," Clotho muttered. All three Fates were suddenly gone.

John blinked. "Your house always this busy, Dean?"

Bill cleared his throat. "That was…interesting."

Aaron pushed off from the wall and moved to stand beside Bill. "Never a dull moment around here. Someone care to give us dead guys some info?"

Everyone stared at him.

He shrugged. "What? We're here. We might as well do something. I used to be pretty good at coming up with solutions." He grinned.

"Oh, I could tell you just how good you are at that, _dad_," Gwen said with a dark frown.

"Maybe we can help," John offered.

"Can't hurt. Can it?" Bill shot a hopeful glance Jo's way.

"Those sound an awful lot like famous last words." Dean sighed. "Gwen, you want to get some coffee going?"

Jo shook her head. "I think this calls for whiskey, not coffee." She looked around at each of them, then headed for the liquor cabinet in the corner. "Our dead dad's are standing in our living room. I think we could all use some fortification."

The appearance of yet another man in the room stalled her on her task. John sincerely hoped this wasn't a usual day in their house.

* * *

**In the Present:**

"You will sit and you will behave yourselves." Abigael pinched a tissue to her nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She'd never had a bloody nose before and Castiel hadn't warned her about this side effect when he'd told her to grab Jack and Allie and head back to this date. "If you don't, there'll be hell to pay when you get back home."

"Lean your head back," Jack told her in an earnest tone. "It'll help."

She didn't doubt it'd help. He'd reached for a tissue as soon as he'd seen the blood. At eighteen, he could be something of a know-it-all, though his attitude at times could be justified. He was an intelligent young man.

Beside him, his sister Allie snorted. "Like you've ever had a nosebleed, doofus." She was fourteen and seemed to think that made her grown up.

"I've had plenty," he protested, handing Abigael another tissue. "Here, Abby."

"That _weren't_ from a fight?"

Casting a glance at both the stairs and at Sam and Gwen's room, she held up a hand. "Will you two please lower your voices?"

Where was Castiel? She'd counted on him appearing with her to help convince the Winchesters of this time to watch over their teen children. Two of them anyway. The two that usually caused the most trouble. Castiel must be right about causing trouble being a genetic trait in Winchester DNA. Jack was the ringleader, Sean followed him half the time (if it made sense to him to do so), and Allie trotted along right behind them, determined to do whatever they were. It drove Dean nuts that his sweet, girly daughter was quite a bit like his wife in that respect. Allie wanted to be a hunter.

Abigael had also counted on him talking to his past self and explaining the situation because there was no way the Castiel of this time hadn't gotten a notice about a time disturbance, especially around this house. He'd had all sorts of alarms set up surrounding the Winchester family even then.

"Why," Allie demanded with a flick of her blond hair. "It's not like we're kids that need watched."

Precisely what they were, though Jack didn't exactly count as a kid anymore.

"You _are_ a kid," Jack reminded her.

"I'm fourteen," she corrected. "Hardly a kid."

A dizzy spell hit and Abigael dropped down hard into Dean's favorite chair. The lights on the tabletop Christmas tree seemed very bright and she closed her eyes a moment. She hated having to bring these two here, but out of all the options, this was the best because they knew with a certainty that Dean, Jo, Sam, and Gwen would take good care of them until they could be retrieved.

As soon as the rift between their world and the fairy world had been discovered, they'd made plans in case Oberon made some sort of move to take Dean or Jack or both. She'd consulted the Fates, who'd talked to Death, and Death had told them to definitely remove the children. He'd deal with Oberon and let them know when the children could be returned.

Though how was he going to do that? The fairy folk were a different breed of creature with different rules. She wasn't even entirely sure Death could stop him, despite his foot in that world. Oberon was pretty powerful. Then again, Death did meet them all in the end. Perhaps this was Oberon's time to die.

The door leading to the stairs opened. Jo stood there, a gun in her hands. "Abby? What's going on? Who are these kids?"

She raised a hand in greeting. "Hi, Jo."

Both Jack and Allie fell silent.

Jo glanced behind her, stepped down into the living room and closed the door to the stairs. "Explanation please?"

"I have a situation. I need you to watch two of my charges for a couple days."

"Watch."

"Baby sit." Allie gasped at the word, but didn't say anything and Abigael went on. "Please, Jo. You know I wouldn't ask unless I needed you."

"What about the other Guardians? Or Castiel?"

"It's not possible at present. This is Jay and Leigh. They won't give you any trouble."

Jack cleared his throat. "Um, Abby? How long -"

Abby could feel herself beginning to lose her grip on consciousness and left, locating Castiel and Sean. Nearly there, she lost control of her trajectory and slammed into another angel as consciousness finally slipped from her.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Collision  
Chapter: Two  
Summary: AU: After the birth of Dean and Jo's daughter, the present Winchester family baby sit some strangely familiar teens Christmas Eve while their future counterparts endure a rather unorthodox family visit. Part of the "Lost and Found" series.  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke. No disrespect is intended with this work of fan fiction.

* * *

**In the Future**:

Sam crossed his arms. Jael had assured them that Death would take care of Oberon for good and that as soon as he was dealt with, the children would be returned. As for the spell the three had completed, it wasn't destructive and it'd have to run it's course. The projection for it's end was about twenty-four hours, which meant they'd be having Christmas Eve dinner with their dads present.

He had a good idea where that spell had come from. A quick check of the attic had found the lock had been tampered with. It had either been Jack or Sean. Allie was hopeless at picking locks.

Jo was setting out glasses, one for each of them, Dean was pouring as fast as she set them down, and Gwen kept giving Aaron suspicious glances. Sam was waiting for the words to start coming from her. She had a lot of unresolved bits about Aaron and had for years.

As if reading Sam's thoughts on that, Aaron took a step towards Gwen. "I'm sorry, Gwen."

"For what," she snapped. "That my mother was a murderous witch who tried to kill me? That you took power from a Trickster and never returned it, thus putting him on my ass? That you temporarily took down a soul stealer by completely reworking the spell used to box him so that our bloodlines are chained to that spell forever? Thanks for that, by the way. I was this," she held up her hand, thumb and forefinger spread about an inch apart, "close to losing my husband, brother-in-law, and best friend. I'd already lost my grandparents to that creature. Most of Jo's graduating class died, not to mention the chunk of the U.S. population he took out, and a hunter friend he used as his host." She crossed her arms. "Is that the stuff you're sorry for or something else?"

Jo nudged her, handing her a glass. "Here. It's the good stuff, not the rotgut Dean usually buys."

"I haven't bought rotgut in years," Dean said, swirling the liquid in his glass. "Ellen cured me of that."

Aaron seemed a little taken aback by Gwen's outburst and replied in a quiet, calm tone, "I did what I had to do at the time. I was desperate for a solution. You have a family, Gwen. Can you tell me you've never done what you had to in order to survive?"

Dean held up his glass. "I'll drink to survival. Who's with me?"

Jo, Bill, and John clinked glasses with Dean and drank.

"Grandparents," Aaron asked, as if he hadn't heard Dean or noticed the toast. "You mentioned grandparents."

"Ham and Ronnie." Sam stepped to the table. He picked up one glass and poured the contents into Dean's glass rather than drink it. "Your parents. Gwen had just started getting to know them when the soul stealer came after them."

At least that seemed to shake him somewhat. He blinked twice in rapid succession. "They were still alive?"

He wasn't anything like what Sam had thought he'd pieced together. He'd known the man likely wasn't, because people usually weren't who you thought they were from pieces gleaned from various biased sources. Sam tried to keep in mind how young Aaron had been when he'd died and how Sam himself, and Dean, had behaved at that age.

Aaron sank down into one straight backed chair. "I'd appreciate it if someone would start with my death and work forward in events. I'm a bit…confused." His frown was deep and thoughtful.

Dean took the chair across from Aaron, slid the remaining glass over to him, and looked at Sam. "Why don't you and Gwen take dad in and show him your wedding and honeymoon photos? Start with those and we'll get everything else covered as soon as we can."

"I'd like to see them," John said with a small smile.

Reluctantly, Sam did as Dean asked and heard him asking Jo to catch Bill up in the kitchen while he explained what they knew to Aaron. He had to give Gwen a shove to get her moving and, once in their room, she got into the spirit of showing John their pictures, telling stories to go with some of them.

John nodded and glanced at them both in turn. "How did you two meet exactly?"

Gwen laughed. "Um…that's quite a story. Sam? Maybe you'd better tell it."

It took time to tell and John slowly went through the pictures again as Sam spoke. He gave a brief overview, starting from when John had escaped from hell. He thought it'd be best and would explain just how Sam had gotten to where he'd been by the time he and Gwen had met. Occasionally, John would glance up at them, letting Sam get through the narration with little in the way of questions and when he did speak, it wasn't about the story.

John pointed at one picture. "I have to ask. Did you have to kill those mermaids or did they behave themselves? I know it could have easily gone either way with them. They're varied in temperament and sometimes volatile."

"Mermaids?" Gwen looked at the picture and up at him. "John, how can you tell? We had no idea. We've never run into any again. Believe me, we've looked."

"The blurring there on the legs in the picture. I knew a guy ran into a couple and had to kill them. He told me a few things. I learned a lot about them."

That led into a discussion about mermaids, but Sam's mind wasn't on it. He was more concerned with how John never said anything about what he'd just told him. Some sort of reaction would be nice. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"Excuse me, Sam?" John's brows rose.

"I just told you everything that went down, how Gwen and I met, all the stuff leading up to it, and you want to discuss mermaids."

"What do you want me to say? Good job?"

With a purse of his lips, Sam nodded "It'd be nice."

John handed the e-frame to Gwen. "You're a grown man with a wife and family, a career that manages to fit in with the life. You think you need _my_ approval, Sam?"

"You don't get it, do you?

Gwen stepped between them, a hand on their chests. "Whoa. Stop. It's Christmas. Can we not do this?"

"What's there to get?"

He seemed puzzled, which pricked at Sam's nerves. "Say something about what I just told you. Say anything. Dean was rescued from hell by angels. We fought both demons and angels. I drank demon blood to contain Lucifer. Doesn't that get a reaction? We stopped the freaking Apocalypse! Then, I spent months without my soul. I did get married, I did have kids…. React to it, damn it!"

He was quiet a long moment. John sighed and looked down at the floor. "You and Dean did a lot of good things since I died. You saved a lot of people, have seen things most people, and I reckon even some hunters, would run screaming from. Seeing you both alive now, after all of that and all these years, Sam…. I _am_ proud. How could you think I wouldn't be? " He looked up now. "Look at this place. You have a family, job, house, and you still hunt. It's a balancing act and I know I wasn't very good at it. I know I made mistakes raising you, but you and Dean obviously aren't repeating them. This is a good life you have."

Immediately, Sam felt like a heel. What he'd read as indifference had been silent approval of the life he and Dean had. John hadn't felt he'd needed to say anything about it. "Oh."

"Oh?" A small grin appeared. "Well, don't go all emotional on me now."

"I guess I'm not the only one with issues," Gwen murmured.

Sam's shoulders relaxed.

"This is me and Sam, Gwen. It's how we've always been. Some things don't change just because a man has died."

There was truth wrapped in those words, Sam reflected as they returned to the living room.

* * *

**In the Present**:

Jo swayed, one arm cradling Allie, her free hand patting the infant's back. "Before you come downstairs, you should know that we're babysitting."

Dean stared at her a moment, then wiggled a finger in one ear, not entirely sure he'd heard her correctly. "We're what?" He closed the car magazine he'd been reading and tossed it aside.

"Babysitting."

"Babysitting," he repeated, half wondering if it was code for something and waiting for a longer explanation. Jo and Gwen had come up with a list of code words and phrases for emergencies. Dean had yet to look at it. Sam, of course, had it memorized.

"That's what I said."

"You mean what?"

"Exactly that. Babysitting. Abby brought by two of her charges and pleaded for us to watch them."

He sighed. "We already have three kids in this house."

"One. Sam took Jack and Sean over to Jody. She has the day off and yes, she has all of the proper precautions. She's kept up the lessons with Mom and Bobby. She'll bring them back when she comes for dinner."

She had a little smirk on her lips and he realized there was something she wasn't telling him. "How long?"

"A couple days tops. Probably less."

"It's Christmas Eve, Jo." He'd looked forward to doing things like sledding with his son and was seeing that slip away. "I had bonding things planned. Jack and I were going sledding. Sam and I were going to take the three of them to see Santa at the mall right when it opens. Not to mention you volunteered to make Christmas dinner tomorrow. How are you going to do that with extra kids running around?"

"It won't kill us."

He adjusted the pillows behind him and leaned against them. "Tell me we're not going to be changing extra diapers."

"Oh, I think it's safe to say they're both potty trained."

"Jo?"

"Yes, Dean?"

"You agreed to baby sit? You? You don't like other people's kids."

She shrugged. "It's Christmas. Abby looked worn out. Whatever they did must have been a doozey."

"What they did?"

She didn't explain that remark. Stepping closer, she reached down and tugged at the covers. "Come down and meet Jay and Leigh."

Seeing his leisured time at home disappearing fast, he groaned, grabbed his robe and stood, pulling it on. "There better be coffee."

"Fresh pot."

"They alone down there?"

"I'm not feeling _that_ charitable. Gwen's watching them."

He followed her downstairs and paused at the bottom of them.

Jay and Leigh weren't children, they were teenagers.

Dean cocked a brow at Jo, understanding her little smirk now. Jay had to be around eighteen and Leigh in her early teens. They sat on the couch, looking around the room with wide eyes. "Babysitting, huh?" He went into the kitchen and took the cup of coffee she handed him.

"Abby's word, not mine. She wants us to keep them out of trouble."

He peered in the room. Gwen appeared to be ignoring them in favor of flipping through channels on the television, but he knew better. She was watching them with an eagle eye. A cup was on the table in front of Jay and Dean sauntered over to sit in his favorite chair. "Coffee drinker?"

"I've been drinking coffee since I was twelve," Jay replied, reaching for the mug.

"Gross," his sister remarked with a roll of her eyes. She looked to be drinking hot chocolate, though any glimpse of the drink was obscured by the marshmallows and bits of crushed candy cane Jo had sprinkled on top for her. Had to have been Jo because Gwen wouldn't add either to hot chocolate.

Gwen slid the remote across the coffee table towards Dean. "I'm going to help Jo."

He found National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on one channel and turned the volume down. Despite the occasional nervous glance his way by Jay, the two kids seemed like they were going to behave. Good. Maybe he could relax after all today.

* * *

Castiel was on his way to the Winchester house to see what had triggered the temporal alarm when arms hugged him. His flight was disrupted and his wings unable to contend with the dead weight of the angel who'd tackled him. They careened towards the earth, landing hard in a snow-packed field, creating a mini-crater. He pushed the angel from him and groaned as the aches from their landing healed.

It was Abigael beside him, unconscious and bleeding from her nose. She wasn't from this time. He could see it easily.

"Abigael?"

"She'll be unconscious for awhile," came his own voice, and he looked up to see himself standing on the lip of the crater. He almost didn't recognize himself. His hair had been cut like Dean's and a neat beard trimmed his jaw. His clothes, too, were different. While the pants were the same, his shirt was casual, and he wore a leather jacket.

"Why are you here? What's happened?"

"It was necessary to hide the children. There is a matter being taken care of…and a secondary matter."

"What matters?" Was it sad that he knew exactly which children his future self was referring to?

His future self jumped down into the crater and crouched down, wiping Abby's face with a cloth he took from his jacket. "Oberon, for one. Something got him all riled up and he went after Jack. It made sense to bring them here, as Oberon can't travel in time."

"That's good information to be aware of."

"Death was rather forthcoming this time."

"We're trusting Death now?" Doing so seemed rather unwise considering their past interactions with Death.

His future self gathered Abby close into his arms and stood. "It's more a case of having no other choice. Death is rather proprietary about the Winchesters. All of them, the children included. Oberon doesn't stand a chance in that fight. I need you to take Sean to Ellen and Bobby. It's best you do it as my appearance may cause questions you won't be able to answer. When you return, I'd appreciate it if we could take Abby somewhere so she can rest. Perhaps I could have a heavenly power boost so I can return to know when to retrieve them and her? It'll be a couple days, but I think likely less. Death was rather looking forward to that fight. He's been wanting to take out Oberon for years now."

"The second matter?"

"Mild. Needs monitored, but I don't think I'll be required to act. It should resolve itself, hopefully without bloodshed."

Standing, he finally saw the teenager sitting on the ground in the snow, waiting with an air of extreme patience. Castiel studied the boy a minute before returning his attention to himself. "Why are you not bleeding? The last time I traveled in time I bled like Abby and was unconscious like her."

He smiled. "I can't say. You know that. Some things should remain untold. Suffice it to say, I'm powerful enough to get here without my past difficulties. Getting back without a boost, however, is still problematic. I do need assistance."

Castiel considered that a long moment, then nodded. "Very well. What shall I tell Ellen? She'll want to know how long he'll be with her."

"Tell her two days, but that it may be longer or even less. Jack and Allie are with Dean and Jo. I have to press upon you that it's wholly necessary to keep the three apart. In my time, we have a full team on them and it's still not enough, not when their parents are added into the mix. They have a knack for finding trouble. Also, you should speak with the Abigael of this time."

"She's checking on her charges, but I'll inform her that she should be cautious if she comes here."

"Thank you."

Castiel left the crater and approached the teenager. "You're Sean."

"Yeah?"

"I need an alias to give Ellen."

"Just use my name. Sean's a popular name. Or you could call me John. It's, like, the same thing." He got to his feet. "Can we stop and get a snack somewhere? I'm kind of hungry."

"I'm sure Ellen will be happy to feed you if you indicate you're hungry." Placing a hand on his shoulder, he took them to Bobby's house. The car Bobby was using was gone, but the lights were on. Ellen was at the desk, making notes on a pad of paper and drinking coffee. He squared his shoulders and began to speak.

* * *

Christmas was Ellen's favorite time of year. She loved it all: carols, food, decorations, presents, and more. This year, Jo had caved on making both Christmas Eve and Christmas day dinner. Granted, her idea of Christmas Eve dinner was fish tacos, but at least it was something that Ellen wasn't having to cook for everyone.

She settled down at the desk with a fresh cup of coffee, some Christmas music playing, and was taking notes from three crumbly old books when Castiel appeared with some teenager and began talking before she could say anything.

"I need a favor from you, Ellen. Abigael needs a favor. We need someone responsible and mature to watch this boy. His name is Sean and -"

"How long?" The timeframe he gave her then was a bit excessive in her opinion. "That long? Two days? What'd the kid do?" He faltered in an explanation and she lifted her cup, holding it with both hands. "Never mind. It'll just be the two of us. Bobby is out on a chase, most likely wild goose if I know Garth - and I do -, and I could use the help toting all the presents over to the house for dinner tonight."

Castiel's eyes widened and he shook his head. "You can't tell them about him, let alone take him over there."

Ellen frowned. "Why not? Cas, I've got to be there for dinner tonight. Jo's expecting me. She's cooking."

"I suggest you cancel your plans."

She set her cup down with a thump. "When have you ever known me to cancel _any_ plans at Christmas?"

"You should make an exception."

"Give me one good reason and it had better be good."

While they spoke, the kid moved to the couch and plopped down on it like he did that every day. He was lanky and in that awkward phase of growing, yet seemed perfectly happy to sit and read that book he pulled from his hoodie pocket. He had yet to say one word, already engrossed in that book. Ellen's gaze kept returning to that book.

"Please trust me. Chaos will ensue if he's with the other kids. They all have a team of us on them daily."

Daily, huh? "What other kids?"

"Abby dropped a couple off at the house already."

"Wait a minute." She shook her head. "Jo's babysitting? Jo? My daughter Jo?"

"Technically not babysitting, Ellen, as they're teenagers as well. They're keeping them out of trouble and I gather they can get into quite a bit of it."

He gathered so? He knew they had a team on them daily and didn't know the full extent of the troubles they got into? Sounded to her like perhaps there was a slight breakdown in information sharing. Either that or Abby had thought it best Castiel didn't know. She recalled some of the things Jo had gotten herself into and reluctantly agreed. "Okay, fine. I won't go." Who the hell were these kids? And how did Castiel and Abby convince Jo and company to baby sit? Dean had had a ton of things planned for his time at home the next two days. "I'll tell Jo something came up and I'll have to skip tonight. But don't tell me to skip Christmas Day dinner. Jo's actually cooking a turkey this year. I _will_ be there."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, sweetie. Thank me when you pick him up."

When Castiel had gone and Sean finished with the snack she fixed him, she returned to the desk and watched him like Cas wanted her to. If he and the other two got into so much trouble, then maybe she should have a look at that book the Sean was reading. It looked oddly like one of those journals they'd all read through in the past couple years, but that wasn't possible. Sam had sworn he'd disposed of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Collision  
Chapter: Three  
Summary: AU: After the birth of Dean and Jo's daughter, the present Winchester family baby sit some strangely familiar teens while their future counterparts endure a rather unorthodox family visit. Part of the "Lost and Found" series.  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke. No disrespect is intended with this work of fan fiction.

* * *

**In the Future:**

Jo leaned against the stove, wondering where to begin. There were decades of things to tell him about.

Bill gave the kitchen a quick glance, then leaned against the counter beside her, copying her pose. "You know, if your mom had known I was coming down for a visit, she would've told me to say hello."

"And given you a long list of things she wanted to know."

He smiled. "Too true." He set the glass he still carried in the sink. "How long ago was it, Jo? Your mother, I mean. Time is a little different for us up there."

"Four years in February." Jo was proud that she no longer cried when she thought about that loss.

"You know she's good, though? Came right in to see me when she arrived."

"I think Castiel may have had something to do with that."

"No, it was someone she called Uzziel. Told her he'd searched heaven for years to find me for her because he knew she'd want that."

Jo had to laugh a little. "He had a pretty bad crush on her. Almost fell from heaven over it."

"He did seem rather attentive."

"We all cried on that date up until about this year. I still tear up. It was hard to lose her, especially so soon after Bobby." She drew in a deep breath. Thinking about losing them both in a space of four months always made her tear up. "I know she's good up there. I do. Cas wouldn't have it any other way. It's just hard. She was such a solid fixture in our lives for so many years. Even Sean called her grandma Ellen."

"I know. She told me some things." He twirled a finger in the air, a gesture rather like one Dean used. "I like your setup here. The house, the grounds. What I could see of them. And the tree and decorations. You must have gotten the decorating flair from your mother. Pretty wrapped presents, the touches of greenery. Even smells like Christmas in here."

She gave the living room a guilty glance. Since Ellen had died, she'd taken over all those Christmas things her mother had loved just to feel like she was still there with them. Music, decorations, going to concerts and madrigal dinners, and, of course, the cookies. This year, Dean and Sam had wrestled in a tree that took up one entire corner of the living room and Jo could admit that she'd gone overboard on presents. No one complained about it, though. "Thanks. You want to see the panic room?"

"You have one of those, too? Lead the way. Closest thing we ever had was that back basement room in the Roadhouse. I always meant to put one in."

Jo led him into the basement and, once they were out of earshot of upstairs, she asked, "You've known Aaron a long time, right?"

He opened the cabinet on one wall that contained food and medical supplies and whistled. "This is awesome." Shutting it, he looked over his shoulder at her. "Sure. Ever since I was young enough that all adults tended to call me Billy."

"That's what Ronnie called you. Billy Harvelle."

"Yeah, well…I let her even after I grew up. Ronnie, you know?"

"I do. She was something. I really liked her. She had this little 'figure out who I am' game going with Dean for awhile. Anyway, I think we - me, Dean, Sam, and Gwen - all know where Sean got that spell. It wasn't from our usual sources. We keep them in the fireproof safe out here in the main room, but there were a few…. Sam locked them up in the attic."

"What's in them?"

"They're Aaron's journals. Arcane stuff, things he'd reworked. Genius stuff, really. It all should have been put in the safe, but after the soul stealer mess, it was easier to put it up there and forget about it. We should have known one of them would get up there and my money would've been on my son in a heartbeat, but it being Sean surprises me. Jack's usually the ringleader...and the best at picking locks."

"Sean the voice of reason among the three?" Now he sat on the cot. "Hey, this is comfortable." Bill laid down. "Why is this comfortable? Cots are never comfortable. I could sleep on this."

"Memory foam. Dean splurged. He said if he ever had to spend quality time down here, he wanted a good mattress."

"Awesome."

There was that word again. Dean's favorite word. Coming out of her dad's mouth in the same tone Dean usually used. Jo shook her head a little in an attempt to dispel the sense of weirdness about that. It's just a word, she told herself. "No, I don't think there's any voice of reason among them. They seem to rotate doing the stupid and sometimes dangerous things that get them in trouble. It must just be Sean's turn."

Bill sat up again. "Aaron was always good with the arcane stuff. He was our go-to guy."

"Too good. Some of the stuff in the journals was wild, from the soul stealer containment spell to how he reworked it to take power from the Trickster. So, if it was one of his spells, how long would it last do you think?"

He thought about it a minute. "Depends on why he created it or reworked something else to create it. Could be a few hours or even days. You'd have to ask him about it."

She was afraid of that. "Maybe you could ask him. You're the one who knows him."

"If you want. So, Jo, tell me about your life. Highlights, please." His grin was good natured and exactly as she remembered.

Jo pulled up a chair, took a breath, and started with her quest to be a hunter to honor him.

* * *

Dean carefully narrated everything they'd pieced together about Aaron's death all the way through to that decision to put his journals in the attic. Aaron didn't react outwardly, not even a twitch of an eyebrow, as if Dean was talking about something that didn't have anything remotely to do with him.

Somewhere in the middle of the story, Gwen, Sam, and John returned and sat on the couch. Jo and Bill were longer to reappear. They joined Gwen, Sam, and John, leaving Dean to finish with Aaron.

He told the last of it and sat back, watching closely to see the man's reaction.

"That's what Gwen was talking about awhile ago." Aaron glanced down at the table and when he looked back up, the detachment in his gaze faded away. "I'm glad Gwen was able to meet my parents, glad Neal and Patty raised her as their own. Were my parents given a proper burial?"

"Of course. Salted, burned, and buried. Sam took care of it. Gwen…. She wasn't in any shape to do it."

"Thank you." Aaron studied him, then smiled. The simple expression changed his manner entirely. Dean thought he could see something likeable in him with that. "You don't like me much, do you, Dean Winchester?"

"I don't know you, Aaron Bennett."

"Yet you still don't like me."

"It's not that I don't like you. I like some of the things we learned about you, but, to be honest, they were all from secondary sources. All from the journals and letters of people who knew you and only a couple who were still around to actually talk to, like Brenda."

He nodded. "She _would_ be around still, wouldn't she?"

"Why is that?"

"If you found Brenda, you saw she doesn't age."

Interesting. How had Aaron noticed that? When had he noticed? "We found her. You knew about her?"

"I knew she wasn't human. Healed too fast, never aged, knew things I couldn't find sources for that turned out to be true. Not sure what she is, but, yeah, I knew. Never told Bill, though. She didn't mean any harm. If she had, I would've tried to figure out how to take her down."

"Well, she's an angel. Former angel anyway. She's pretty powerless and has been for centuries. Would've been hard to kill her without the right weapon."

"If she'd hurt anyone, I would've found a way."

"I believe you would have. Look, we know about you. We don't _know_ you. Often times, those are two different things entirely. Now, I pieced together a few things I think are true. You game to hear?"

"Shoot. I'll let you know if you fall short in your assessment of me."

"Okay." Dean looked over at the couch and chairs. It didn't look like anyone was paying attention and he leaned forward. "I think you were one step away from going dark side when you died. I know where that kind of desperation to save your family leads. I've been that desperate. Been there a few times."

He leaned forward as well. "You're right. I'd have done anything to stop Mia and save Gwen. I did everything I could think of and she still killed me, so thank you for killing her."

"Thank Jo. She's the one who shot her while Molek was possessing her."

"I will. Later. Go on."

"You were ready to change your life, provided you got the upper hand with Mia. Planned to go home and patch things up with Ham and Ronnie."

"I had. I was. I'd imagined mom welcoming me with a hug, telling dad to hush, then fawning over Gwen. Mom loved babies. I thought I'd tell them everything, ask to stay, to make amends somehow for what went down between us." He shrugged. "Instead, I died and that bitch enjoyed ripping open my stomach and chest. Taunted me, then sang lullabies to calm Gwen when she started crying."

"She was buckets of crazy."

"And I didn't see it until it was almost too late."

Dean shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "Happens. We may be hunters, but we're still men."

Aaron leaned back in his chair. "Guess I'm not the first man to fall for a pretty face and get screwed over." He cleared his throat. "You have more?"

"A little. I think you were too smart for your own good. I've looked through those journals you left. Sam and I, all of us actually, used things out of them to save the world for about the hundredth time." Not literally, though it sometimes felt like it. "Genius like that can be an asset and a shortcoming all in one."

He snorted. "Genius? Hardly. I have a knack for certain things."

"A knack?" Dean scratched a finger at his temple. "You also have a gift for understatement, Aaron. I think…." He licked his lips, wondering if he should actually say the next part. "I think you and my brother are an awful lot alike."

Surprise reflected in his eyes and Aaron flicked his gaze across the room to Sam and back. His lips parted and he laughed. It was a rich, warm sound. "Man, I hope not. I hope he's everything she's ever wanted and then some and nothing like me." His features softened further and Dean could see a longing beginning to grow. "She looks happy."

"She is, far as I know. Sam's happy, too."

"I thought I was happy once." His smile faded and he sighed. "So what now, Dean? What do we do until the spell runs out?"

Good question. What did they do with three dead dads who were on earth for a possibly only a day?

* * *

**In the Present:**

After dressing, Dean headed down the hall towards Allie's room to grab the blanket Jo wanted, but did an abrupt turn and went into Jack's room instead. He put his hands on his hips and pursed his lips. Abigael was on the bed, passed out. Stepping forward, he snagged a tissue from the box on the nightstand and wiped a trickle of blood from beneath her nose.

Interesting. Under what conditions did an angel pass out and have nosebleeds? Time travel.

"What's going on, Cas?" He turned to face his friend, who had suddenly appeared and was losing the door. "Why is future Abby on Jack's bed? Why's she back here? Did she bring one of us like you brought -" It hit him like a ton of bricks crashing down on him. Jay could stand for Jack, Leigh for Allie. There were two of them and with the right number of years between them, not to mention how the two really did sort of resemble them once he thought about it. "Our kids, Cas? She brought our kids back in time? Where's Sean?"

Cas moved to the chair by the window and dropped into it. "I should have known you'd figure it out quickly. Sean is with Ellen. Future me thought it best to split them up. Apparently, the children are rather prone to mischief when together."

"Great. And you're here in duplicate, too."

"No." He shook his head. "Future me returned to the future to monitor a secondary situation the children created while the initial situation was brewing."

"You left without a rest?"

"It appears that more things change with me in future years. I merely needed a small boost of heavenly energy."

"What are the situations?"

"I wasn't informed of the full measure of the entire situation, only that he…I will be back to retrieve Abby and the children in a couple days, though I don't think it'll be that long for the initial situation to be resolved."

"And the secondary one?"

"Nothing to worry about and will resolve itself."

"So why did you need to monitor it?"

He leaned his head back. "That's an excellent question that I should have asked myself."

What on earth was going on in the future in that second situation that might need to be watched?

* * *

**In the Future:**

"I'm going to bed," Gwen announced, getting up from the couch.

"But…." Sam gestured towards Aaron, who'd finished with his chat with Dean and had pulled up a chair beside Jo.

Aaron had quietly thanked her for dispatching both Mia and Moleck as he sat, but his attention kept returning to Gwen. It was beyond obvious that Aaron was hungering to talk to her and learn about her and as painfully obvious that she wasn't going to talk to him unless she had to. She was avoiding even looking at him. Sam had thought she might want to get all of her issues with him out and over with and she was proving him wrong. He'd thought she'd want to clear the air. Why wasn't she?

"I'm tired. It's been a long day and it's late." She crossed her arms, expression daring him to protest.

"We can sleep in tomorrow."

Everyone else was carefully ignoring them, except Aaron. Sam followed Gwen into their room and closed the door.

"We don't know how long they'll be here, Gwen."

"No, we don't, so go enjoy talking with your dad, Sam."

"I think dad and I've already said everything we need to. Years wrapped up in five minutes of angry conversation and a make-up laugh. You and Aaron on the other hand -"

She turned, holding up one finger as a warning. "Don't start. Please, Sam, just don't, okay? I don't even know what to think about him being here, let alone chat with him."

"He's your father. He wants to learn about you. He never got a chance to know you."

"You tell him. All of you."

"Gwen."

She shook her head. "No. I'm going to bed."

An hour later, Jo, Dean, John, and Bill were playing poker and having a riotous good time while Sam remained over on the couch talking with Aaron. He wasn't finding out any facts they hadn't already known yet, but he was getting a better sense of the man himself. Aaron had a deep emotional streak and his loyalty to his friends was also deep. Gwen would like him if she gave him a chance.

They took turns napping throughout the night, not leaving the three men alone. It was partly because they were enjoying the reunion and partly out of the usual paranoia they all suffered from.

* * *

Whenever Sam came into their bedroom, Gwen pretended she was sleeping. She knew, logically, that this was the time to talk to Aaron, when he was here and could respond, yet she wasn't ready to do that. For so many years she'd wished he was alive long enough to get answers from him on some things and now that he was here, she found she couldn't ask her questions.

It wasn't that she didn't want to. She was afraid of what she'd find out once she started talking to him. Dean, Sam, and Jo had all already known their dads. They'd known the sort of men they were and, while Gwen could speculate from things they'd read and heard, she was still afraid Aaron would turn out to be evil at heart.

It was an old fear, one that had pierced her way back when she'd first learned she'd been adopted by Neal and Patricia Campbell, and one that had never really left her. She thought he was a good man under it all, yet that old fear held her back.

Sam thought she was being stupid about it. She was. She knew it. But she was going to have to gather the emotional courage to face her deep fear about Aaron's character before she took that step towards him. Gwen hoped that courage would come before he, and the others, vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Collision  
Chapter: Four  
Summary: AU: After the birth of Dean and Jo's daughter, the present Winchester family baby sit some strangely familiar teens while their future counterparts endure a rather unorthodox family visit. Part of the "Lost and Found" series.  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke. No disrespect is intended with this work of fan fiction.

* * *

**In the Present:**

Dean was staring at Jay, then Leigh, like his stare could figure out everything about them. To their credit, the two were managing to ignore it.

Jo stood in the door to the kitchen watching and wondering what was going on. "Dean," she called out.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Uh-huh." He narrowed his eyes a moment. "So…Jay. You like cars?"

The young man nodded, wariness in his eyes. "Yes, sir."

She'd swear Dean flinched at that.

"Don't call me sir."

"Um…okay, but dad always told me to have respect for those older than me. What should I call you then?"

Now Dean seemed to pale. Was he coming down with something? Jo approached and put her wrist to Dean's forehead. It wasn't any warmer than usual. "Just use our names, Jay. We're pretty informal in this house."

Leigh raised her hand and waved it in the air until Jo looked over and acknowledged her. "I'm not comfortable with that." Leigh's smile was small and apologetic.

Jay snorted. "Since when? You call _everyone_ by their first names. You don't know how to be formal or proper."

"I can totally be formal and proper, doofus."

"Prove it."

"_Fine_, I will." She rolled her eyes and smiled up at Jo. "Mrs. Winchester, may I have some more of that super yummy hot chocolate that's just like my mom makes?"

Dean broke into a coughing fit.

Jay's frown at Leigh was deep and rather adult. "Leigh."

"What? I told you I can be formal and proper. I said Mrs."

Jo studied Dean. His expression was odd to say the least. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…no." He slid his coffee cup across the table. "More coffee?"

"Sure." With a last feel of his forehead, she returned to the kitchen, two cups in hand.

Gwen was cuddling Allie and making baby talk at her. She shifted her when Jo set the mugs on the counter, free hand pouring more coffee in Dean's mug. "You know, I'd swear I've met that boy before. Not his sister, just him. He's so familiar, but I can't place him. Maybe he was using another name?"

"I know, me too. It's like a gut feeling. Now Dean's acting all weird." She made the hot chocolate. "He keeps staring at them." Picking up the mugs, she took them out to the table.

"Jay's the best with cars," Leigh was saying.

A quick glance at Jay showed he was flushing a little. Embarrassment maybe? Jo returned her attention to Leigh. The girl was smiling in a way that set of warning bells in Jo's head. That smile was too innocent and a little smug. She was up to something.

"He loves looking at cars and working on them and he and dad, that's all they do when dad's home. They spend more time discussing cars than anything else. It's, like, cars this and cars that, and a ton of stuff I just don't get at all. I mean, they're cars. They get you from A to B, right?"

A gleam of pleasure sparked in Dean's eyes. "That's awesome. A man and his son bonding over cars."

Jay cleared his throat. "Yeah…. I like other things too." With skill, he changed the subject and successfully got Dean onto the topic of music.

Jo returned to the kitchen and started preparing lunch.

The stares didn't stop even over a fast lunch of grilled cheese with ham and chicken noodle soup, or when Abby appeared from upstairs asking to join them for the day. Jo decided to keep an eye on Dean as well as the kids.

* * *

The kids were lying through their teeth to Dean and anyone else who asked them a question.

Abby carefully dabbed a tissue beneath her nose. The nosebleeds were finally stopping and Dean had told Jo and Gwen that angels sometimes did get nosebleeds.

Sam frowned at that, but didn't say anything, though he did look at her a long while before shrugging. He had to know something was up, though it appeared he was going to ignore it.

"I totally love dressing up," Allie was telling Jo as they played Scrabble. "I usually wear dresses, but I was outside earlier, so that's why I'm in jeans."

Jack nodded. "True. She's the girliest girl I know."

Abby suppressed a snort. Allie was a tomboy through and through. She'd stopped wearing the pretty, frilly dresses Ellen had bought for her when she'd gotten old enough to dress herself. The last time Jo had gotten her in a dress had been when Allie was eight and Dean had decided they were giving Ellen a family portrait for her birthday.

The picture had been a disaster. The best one of the lot had been taken right as Sean had passed gas (with an innocent little smile) and everyone had been grimacing and holding their noses. Dean maintained the boy was more toxic than Sam could be. They'd ended up putting a bunch of recent candid shots in a frame for Ellen instead of a fancy picture.

"My mom's teaching me how to put on makeup. She lets me wear it out in public."

At the table, Dean looked like he was having bad indigestion. It was probably a good thing the children were lying. Abby wasn't sure if any of them could take the truth of how their family turned out. The next generation of Winchesters were rather like the current one, a fact that the latter were usually either happy or exasperated about.

Castiel always told her that he liked it that way. He liked seeing a bit of Dean, Sam, Jo, and Gwen in their children.

She frowned. Where _was_ Castiel anyway? She'd thought present Castiel would be here making sure nothing went awry. She didn't dare wander off to find him, either. It'd be terrible to run into anyone else she knew. After a moment, she shrugged. He'd be here if he thought he needed to be.

As the hours passed, the lies continued, giving them an unrealistic view of the children, and Dean started to relax. Abby could see it in the set of his shoulders and in his manner. He even gave a sigh that sounded relieved to her.

Until the phone rang.

* * *

Sean ate like a typical teen boy.

Ellen set another plate of sandwiches in front of him and yearned for the days when she could eat like that. He scarfed down a sandwich in gulps and chugged through his second glass of milk.

He seemed to sense her studying him, for he slowed down, swallowed and looked at her. "My aunt says I'm going to eat us out of house and home and my mom says I'm just a growing boy."

"Probably both true." Ellen reached for the coffee pot and refreshed her cup, then paused and asked, "coffee?" She could see the desire for a cup on his face. He'd been staring at her coffee mug for a couple hours now - when he wasn't engrossed in that book of his.

Sean blinked and gulped. "Um…no, thanks. I drink…herbal tea. Or plain regular. Green tea, that's the thing. It has flavanoids or something and it's really good for you. Mom says it's good for you and my mom knows health things."

"Your mom a doctor?"

"Sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"She doesn't work all the time." He bit his lip, narrowed his eyes and added, "She's more like a medic, working in certain situations."

"I see. And you drink tea."

"Yup. It's my cou…brother that drinks coffee."

"Sure. Older than you?" A suspicion was growing in Ellen's mind, based on the things Sean was telling her, the things Castiel had said, and Sean's physical appearance. She was beginning to suspect that he was their Sean, Sam and Gwen's boy, brought from the future. Knowing Cas and the rest of the angels, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"Yeah. A couple years."

"Tell me about your family. They got names? You mentioned an aunt. What's her name?"

She'd swear he gulped again. "J…Liz."

"You have an uncle to go with that aunt?"

His attention lowered to the sandwiches. "Do I have to talk about my family?"

"Why?"

"I don't want to. Castiel wouldn't like it. He'd be mad at me and so would Abby."

"Now, why would they be mad?"

He opened his sandwich and adjusted the lunchmeat on it. "Because I'm not supposed to say anything that might jeopardize things. Castiel was really clear about that. He said I shouldn't babble."

"Babble?"

"I sometimes talk when I'm nervous."

"Okay. Why don't you tell me about what you've been reading instead. Must be pretty good. You've been reading since you got here."

"Well, there's no tv. Or game system."

"There's a tv. It's not working right now."

He rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like, 'it never is'.

"The book?"

"It's just one I found."

"Where did you find it?"

"In my house."

Ellen hadn't missed this particular phase of teenage converse. With Jo the phase of avoiding actually answering a question had only lasted three years. It had been three frustrating years of Jo as the queen on one-word answers. Getting information from her had been worse than trying to pull teeth. "Where in your house?"

Most kids would think that was a weird question, but he didn't appear to think a thing about it. "Uh…the basement."

"Must smell a little musty then. Most people don't keep books in the basement."

"It was in a trunk with a bunch of other things and books and I think there were some cedar chips or something. Our basement is finished."

"Mmm. You found a book in a trunk in the basement."

"Sure."

She decided to go out on a limb then. "Were Jack and Allie with you?"

He shook his head. "No, they were…." Sean stared at her. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh is right." Ellen slid her coffee cup aside. "Tell the truth, kid."

With a hard swallow, he caved completely. "Please don't tell my dad, Grandma Ellen! Please! And don't tell Cas I messed up and you know who I am!"

She didn't promise anything of the sort. "Castiel needs to know."

"Oh, man! Crapsticks. I wasn't supposed to be getting in that trunk and I did it anyway. Jack and Allie didn't know until after and it was just a simple spell. Harmless."

Her heart sank a little at those words and Ellen moved to sit beside him, putting an arm around him in a half hug. "There ain't no such thing with spells, sweetie. They're nothing but trouble. Didn't your folks tell you that?"

Sean wouldn't look at her. She'd bet they had, yet he thought he knew better. He was at that age.

"You'd better let me see that book."

He removed it from his pocket and handed it to her.

A quick glance told her it was one of Aaron's books. "I'll give you an example of how spells are trouble. Your grandpa Aaron, your mom's dad, he was good with spells. Too good. This book was his, the work in it his. One time, there was this creature called a soul stealer. Also called a soul eater. Same thing. He was free and Aaron and his friends went to take him down." She told him all about the soul stealer, what they knew from Aaron's time dealing with it, emphasizing the changes that had increased the trouble that spell was. She went on to tell about all that had happened when he'd been released.

Ellen didn't want to take any chances that Sean would end up making some of the same mistakes Dean, Sam, Jo, and Gwen had made. Or herself and Bobby. Rufus. Any number of hunters. Spells were always bad news even though they did occasionally use them for things in their line of work. It was with caution that they did so.

"If they're so dangerous, then why do we use them," he asked.

"Because sometimes we have to in order to win the fight and get an upper hand over evil, and there are some kinds of spells we never ever touch. One of Aaron's mistakes was taking from every kind of spell, even the dark ones, the demonic blood spells, to create a stronger version of the binding. Ask your folks sometime about it. Or your aunt and uncle. And Sean?"

"Yeah?"

"Never make a deal with anyone."

"Deal? Like with another hunter?" He was puzzled by that and she wondered if he even knew about Dean's deal to save Sam those years ago and the consequences from that.

"I mean demons, Sean. Never deal with them. Never deal with supernatural creatures because it will bite you on your ass later."

"But I make deals with Castiel and Abby."

"What kind of deals?"

"I'll be super good if they'll refrain from telling mom and dad how bad it really was."

"Do they take those deals?" If they did, she was going to have to have a talk with Castiel when he came back to collect Sean.

The guilty gleam in his eyes deepened. "Not usually. Abby says she once swore to never lie to them or leave out truths and Castiel sighs, agrees not to tell _them_ and tells my aunt and uncle instead. He does the same with Jack and Allie, telling my mom and dad. He made a deal with us to never cause trouble on their birthdays, but how do I know what's going to cause trouble or not? Like this spell. I only wanted mom to be able to meet her dad and he showed up with a body and everything."

There was the clearing of a throat and Ellen glanced up to see Castiel standing there. With a pained and resigned expression, he held out his hand. "The book please, Ellen."

She handed it over. "Deals, Cas?"

"I know nothing about it," he replied.

"Of course you don't," Sean said. "You're present Cas. It hasn't happened yet. My Castiel is somewhere else right now. Or is he? Is it time to go home?"

Castiel put the book in an inside pocket in his coat. "No. I merely came to see how you were doing. You're not good under interrogation, Sean."

"Not when it's grandma Ellen. She could whoop my ass."

"Did she ever," he inquired in a curious tone.

"No, but she could have. Aunt Jo said she was fully capable and lying to grandma Ellen was a sin of epic proportions. She could sense a lie in seconds. Aunt Jo said to always be truthful to grandma Ellen or else. I don't want to find out about the 'or else' part."

Ellen crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch cushions with a tiny smile. Nice of Jo to instill fear in the kids about her capabilities in finding out a lie.

"You also give far too much information and you're a bad liar."

"Yeah, I know. Usually I just let Jack and Allie do the talking and never, ever look uncle Dean in the face because he can always tell when I'm lying about something. And aunt Jo, she's, like, perceptive too. Allie can't get away with anything with her."

"You shouldn't lie to begin with." Castiel crouched down in front of Sean. "Ellen is right about deals, Sean. Never make a deal, especially with a demon. I don't want to have to lead a team into hell to find you, any of you. Although that was special circumstances."

"Team?"

The kid didn't know. He didn't know that Dean had made a deal to save Sam's life and gone to hell for it. Ellen's smile faded and she sent a cautious glance Castiel's way. Was it their place to tell him? Why hadn't the kids been told about that?

He appeared to weigh the situation and nodded. "I want you to listen carefully. Take in everything I'm going to tell you and relay it to your cousins if they don't already know, but never mention that you know to your uncle unless he asks you about it. The subject is a painful one for Dean and, while I believe I understand why he never told you, I also believe he's mistaken in not doing so. You, all three of you, need to be aware of consequences far more than you are now. Every action has consequences and you three, because of your heritage, need to understand that."

The talk was long and Castiel described what had happened in far more detail than Ellen had ever heard. When the talk was over, Ellen picked up the phone.

"It's best we're all under one roof, Castiel. We need to tell them who these kids are. Or at least tell Dean and Sam. Between us, we can minimize any problems while they're here."

"What are you doing," Sean asked.

"Kid, we're going to dinner tonight after all."

* * *

**In the Future:**

Castiel stood out of sight, monitoring the Aaron situation. He hadn't told himself about the problem and Aaron was definitely a problem. He could see the longing on his face and the wheels turning in his eyes. How soon until he hatched a plan to stay on earth? With anyone else, Castiel wouldn't worry too much, but Aaron had the intellect to figure out a way that no one else had considered. He could find some sort of loophole. Aaron wasn't as much trouble as Sam and Dean, but he was dangerous.

Luckily, Death wasn't interested in Aaron. He'd already returned from his fight with Oberon, advising that the children stay gone awhile longer. Cynically, Castiel suspected he was just enjoying not having the children here in this time, though who could tell with Death?

He leaned against the wall by the Christmas tree and settled in to watch.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Collision  
Chapter: Five  
Summary: AU: After the birth of Dean and Jo's daughter, the present Winchester family baby sit some strangely familiar teens while their future counterparts endure a rather unorthodox family visit. Part of the "Lost and Found" series.  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke. No disrespect is intended with this work of fan fiction.

* * *

**In the Future:**

Dean got a dangerous vibe off of Aaron and it was nice to know the alarm bells in his head were justified.

Bill poured more coffee in his cup. He seemed to be enjoying the coffee more than anyone else. "He's not malicious, Dean. He simply doesn't always think through his actions before he does things."

"Making him dangerous." He poured egg mixture over browned sausage crumbles, sprinkled some cheese on it and put it in the oven. They were finally getting around to having a late breakfast, though it was more like lunch at this time of day.

"We're all dangerous. Aaron is kind of like a cat. Really curious and assumes he has nine lives."

"I don't think any of us have room to throw stones on the curious part."

"True, that."

They stepped back into the living room. John was waiting by the front window, looking out at the yard. "Which car out there is yours, Dean? I saw the Impala in the garage last night. You're obviously not driving her."

"Couldn't keep Baby going any longer. I tried, but with gas as high as it is now and the government restrictions on older vehicles, I had to let her go. Pained me, too."

"Pained is an understatement. You should have heard him." Jo joined them while Bill went to sit with Sam and Aaron. Sam was laughing about something. "He's using her to teach the kids about cars now. Jack and Sean aren't too interested, but Allie can rebuild an engine with her eyes closed."

"Our girl has the knack." Their daughter was well-rounded in his opinion. Girly when she had to be and good at the essentials like shooting and mechanics. It had taken him awhile to get over the fact that she really wasn't the girly-girl he'd thought she'd be.

Not that Jack wasn't good at shooting and mechanics, he just didn't seem to want to bond with Dean over any of it. It had been a disappointment to understand that, because what man didn't want to bond with his son over a shared love for cars? At least Jack liked his music.

"She does. Show John your new Baby, Dean."

"Watch breakfast for me? Twenty minutes or so."

"Sure."

When they were done looking over the car, John whistled. "You're telling me this car gets that many miles per gallon?"

"Hell, yeah. My new Baby beats Sam and Gwen's car by miles. I was skeptical at first, I admit it, but when there's more money for guns and ammo, I'm happy and so is my wife. Took forever to pick out Baby Two. A lot of things to look at."

"Huh." John glanced at the house. "You've got it all figured out, don't you."

"Nope. Just some of it. We've got a system set up that works for us. Had a lot of help from some over the years. Bobby, Ellen, Rufus, and others. Hard times, good times, bad times, you name it, we've had it. There's always another job to get done."

"That there is."

They headed back inside and found Gwen finally awake and still determined not to interact with Aaron.

* * *

It was surprising to Sam that this visit hadn't gone tail up yet. With their track record on family get-togethers, it should have ended in either a disaster or a Three Stooges routine hours earlier. Still…they had however long was left on this spell. Could go either way at any time. "So, Aaron, about the spell that brought you here…. Was it yours do you think?" Sam sat in Dean's chair and stretched his legs out.

Aaron turned from studying the Christmas tree. "Of course it was."

"Of course?"

"Sure."

The door opened behind him. Gwen crossed her arms and leaned against the door jam. She was fully dressed and looked like she was spoiling for a fight, her face a mask of tension.

"You tried it before?" He probably hadn't. He'd seemed big on using untested spells.

"No. I knew it'd work. Didn't have to test it."

"Isn't that sort of arrogant," Gwen asked.

Looking at her, Aaron smiled, the pleasure in seeing her almost blinding. All he seemed to want was a smile back and a few kind words. "Good morning, Gwen. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept fine and it's more like afternoon. Well? Isn't it arrogant?"

"No. I took a simple spirit summoning spell and changed it up a bit. The additions were logical."

"Come on, man. It was a _little_ arrogant." Bill raised his hand and spread thumb and forefinger about an inch apart.

Aaron shrugged.

Gwen pursed her lips. "You're good at changing up spells, aren't you?"

"Yes. Aren't you?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "No." Pushing off from the door jam, she went across into the kitchen.

Aaron raised a finger, pointing it in her direction. "I'm getting the feeling she's still upset with me."

"She'll mellow." Sam hoped it'd happen before Aaron, Bill, and dad were gone again. If not, she'd have massive regret immediately after.

Bill laid his ankle on his knee. "You sure about that, Sam?"

With a glance at the kitchen, he shook his head. "No. Either of you want some eggnog? I'll warn you that it's no fat or low fat. Jo won't buy the full fat because Dean drinks it all within a day of buying it and it's not really what you might be used to."

"No fat," Aaron asked. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Maybe if you add enough alcohol it covers the taste."

Sam chuckled at Bill's reasoning. It was a lot like Dean's reasoning on the low-fat stuff. He and Jo argued at least once a season about the low-fat eggnog, each argument ending with Dean declaring he'd have the full fat eggnog if he damn well wanted to, then adding extra alcohol to the low fat eggnog instead.

"I'm good with coffee." Bill held up his cup. "I've missed coffee. I didn't know how much until I had a cup earlier."

Frowning, Aaron returned to the couch and sat. "Tell me about my grandson please. And your brother's kids." He licked his lips. "Grandson. Sounds weird to say it, but nice to know I have one, you know?"

Sam thought a long moment. What could he say about Sean right now? That he was having trouble relating to his son? That he did things Sam didn't understand? He finally settled on a simple, "Sean likes learning and books. Anything but Latin. He's terrible at Latin. Hates it. Has no ear for languages, unlike Gwen. She's pretty good with languages. Jack's better at Latin than Sean is."

Aaron smiled. "I'm better reading languages than speaking them, but it's one area I really had to study to get decent at. Gwen's mother was actually very proficient at languages. Spoke three fluently. Gwen probably gets that from her. What about…um…Allie?" He said her name like he wasn't sure he'd gotten he right one.

"Allie is a lot like Dean, but don't make that comparison where he can hear it. He hates that she's the most like him, even while he's proud of her. He wanted her to do all the clothes and makeup things most girls do. She's a tomboy, good at gadgets and building things. For the past few years, all he's said is that she's supposed to like girl things. Adamant on it."

A low chuckle came from Bill. "Actually, she sounds like my daughter. Just like."

"Jo's made a few mentions," Sam acknowledged. "Jack's all empathy. If he were here, Aaron, he'd be trying hard to get Gwen to talk to you and he'd probably succeed. He's good at it. Sean is…. He's been going through a weird phase lately. Says he hates things he used to like and so on."

"I think most kids do that, mainly just to mess with their parents." Bill set his cup down. "They all sound like good kids, Sam."

"Thanks." Idly, he began to wonder when things were going to start going downhill. It was inevitable.

* * *

**In the Present:**

Dean stepped into the kitchen. He wasn't sure having all three of their kids present at a dinner where their younger counterparts would be was a good idea, but it was happening regardless.

Teenage Jack was behind him, baby Allie asleep on his shoulder, one little arm dangling down and her mouth open. He was patting her back with a gentle hand and looked like he was rather at ease with babies. A slightly worrying thing. Maybe he should be making inquiries about girlfriends and why Jack was so good with babies.

"Hey. Right on schedule," Jo told him. "Should be ready to start actually cooking in a few minutes."

"Two more for dinner, Jo."

She finished chopping cilantro and turned. "Two? Please tell me Balthazar and Atropos didn't get back from Greece and invite themselves."

"No, Ellen will be over after all and she's, um, bringing the kid she's babysitting."

Jo sighed. "Okay. How old is the kid?"

"Teenager. Boy."

"I see. Gwen, go pull another package of fish from the freezer and thaw it for me." Immediately, she amended it to, "Better make that two more. Teenage boy, huh? Hope we have enough food."

"Need any help?"

"Leigh can help," Jack offered. "She loves cooking. She and mom spend hours in the kitchen together trying new recipes."

A thing Dean doubted completely since he knew Jo's attitude towards cooking was more of the 'basic recipes rotated every so often' variety. She'd try new recipes if it was something she wanted to eat or adjust to her own tastes, but spend hours in the kitchen? Not his Jo. If that was a lie, then what else was Jack lying to them about?

He blinked. He hadn't realized Jack was lying. Another worrying thing to contemplate. His son was a good liar. A good and bad thing. He made another mental note to figure out Jack's tells as he grew up.

The front door opened, Ellen walking in. She was carrying bags filled with presents, as was the boy behind her. Dean gulped. It was like seeing a young Sam standing there.

Ellen closed the door. "Put them by the tree and sit down. Behave yourself. I mean it, Sean."

Sean took a few steps into the room and shook his head. "Where's the tree?"

"On the table over there," Dean told him, pointing.

"No, I mean the real tree." The boy looked confused. "That one is like -"

"Sean!" Jack cleared his throat and started rocking baby Allie as she started fussing. "That's the tree."

Sean nodded slowly, disappointment turning his mouth down in a frown. "Okay. By the little, tiny, itty, bitty pathetic tree it is."

Ellen handed Dean the bags and took off her coat. When he came back to her, she motioned for him to lean down. "Need to tell you something. These kids are -"

"Yeah, I know. I've practically been doing back flips to keep Jo, Sam, and Gwen from figuring it out."

She glanced across the room with an amused expression and he turned in time to see Sam's expression shift from curiosity at the new kid she'd brought with her, to surprise, a tiny bit of horror, and resignation. Sam looked at Dean and raised his brows in a mute question that Dean and Ellen both answered with a nod. With a sigh, Sam greeted Sean and helped him remove the presents from the bags.

Ellen chuckled at that. "By the way, you need to put those journals of Aaron's somewhere safe."

"Why?"

"Because he used one of the spells that's why. Said he thought it was harmless."

"Son of a bitch. Harmless. What the hell have we been teaching them?"

"Don't know, sweetie, but whatever you do, don't put those things in the basement. It's where he finds them."

"They're in the attic now."

"Good. Keep them there. And put a lock on the entrance. Use a rotating schedule of key and combination locks. I used that system for years to keep Jo out of some things."

"I'd thought we could put them in the new safe, but…sure. I'll have Sam get on that next week."

"Can't be too careful, Dean."

"I got that."

Jody wasn't far behind Ellen. While she seemed surprised to see even more kids present, she accepted the glass of wine Gwen brought her without a comment and went to sit with Abigael to catch up.

Dean was immediately busy with both the younger boys, leaving Sam to watch teenage Jack and teenage Sean.

* * *

Eyeing the food spread out in the kitchen, Jo wondered if she was making enough considering they now had three teenagers to feed as well as Dean's usual appetite. She'd heard horror stories about the average appetite of the average teenage boy.

Gwen patted the fish dry with paper towels and turned on the electric skillet. "Fish tacos for Christmas Eve dinner. Haven't we had fish tacos two times this week already?"

Jo opened two packages of flour tortillas. "He's eating them, Gwen. I've got to do the heart healthy stuff for Dean somehow and this is easiest." She'd been doing her best to make Dean's favorite foods better for him even though he denied he had any sort of heart problems. She'd even been cracking open cookbooks at the library for new recipes. On the menu recently had been fish tacos, crab cakes, baked and grilled fish with various spices, and revamped dishes that used half the cheese, and whole wheat pasta in place of white.

So far, all Dean had said was 'tasty' and 'you cook it, I'll eat it'. If she wanted Dean around for a long time, and she did, she needed to do her part to keep him healthy. That meant getting tricky with the food choices. It wouldn't be his heart killing him eventually if she had any say in it.

"Have you tried using ground portabella mushrooms in recipes," Leigh asked, leaning against the fridge. "It's what my mom does. She tried using regular white mushrooms, but the portabellas have a meatier texture."

"Mushrooms," Jo asked, intrigued by the idea.

"Yeah, you cook it half and half with ground beef and the mushrooms sort of soak up the flavor. You can also juice up veggies or shred them, then add them to things."

"You know a lot about this." Gwen pulled out the pan they used to heat tortillas.

"Mom and I cook a lot. She told me if I was going to be one of those picky eaters I needed to see how much work went into cooking."

"You're picky?"

Leigh shrugged. "I have texture issues with foods. Some things are, like, so icky and gross I can't choke them down."

Cooking went quickly and, when Jo had it all ready to plate up, she found Jay there waiting to take plates in for her.

"Sam suggested I carry the plates for you," he explained.

"Go to it." She reached to take off her apron and something in the way he reached for two plates, and the expression he made as he did so, was still so very familiar that it was going to drive her nuts until she figured it out.

Gwen handed Leigh a gallon of milk and the salsa and took the guacamole with her.

Jay stepped back into the kitchen, grabbing two plates, and giving her a little smile before taking them out.

Suddenly, Jo knew exactly who he was. That smile was the very same one Jack used when she was standing over him making sure he'd brushed his teeth. It was that proud smile he gave her when he'd done something he knew she approved of. Same twinkle in his eyes, same head tilt. Jay was Jack and she leaned against the counter to brace herself from that revelation. Did that mean Leigh was Allie and Sean was…well…Sean?

"Crapsticks," she whispered. "What the hell did they do to get sent back here?"

He came back in for the last plates, glance curious. "Are you okay? You look a little, I don't know, a little strange."

"I'm fine. Just…fine." She filled a wine glass and followed him out to her place at the table. Something told her this dinner was going to get interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Collision  
Chapter: Six  
Summary: AU: After the birth of Dean and Jo's daughter, the present Winchester family baby sit some strangely familiar teens while their future counterparts endure a rather unorthodox family visit. Part of the "Lost and Found" series.  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke. No disrespect is intended with this work of fan fiction.

* * *

**In the Present:**

"I had my first dance this year," Allie announced to the table in general. She was valiantly trying to keep some sort of conversation going and, while Abby applauded her efforts, she was going about it the wrong way. Telling stories about her childhood wasn't doing any of them any good since most of the adults knew who they were. Dean was suspicious of everything they were saying, Sam was watching Sean with a bemused expression, and Jo kept looking like she was going to cry.

Meanwhile, Ellen kept Jody talking about work, successfully managing to keep her distracted, and Gwen handled Jack and Sean's younger counterparts. She was too busy to notice anything but them. Young Jack was thrilled with teenagers present and kept asking questions while young Sean was far more interesting in eating.

"I don't think they'll be interested in hearing about it," teenage Jack told her.

"Why not?" Teenage Sean shrugged and reached for another taco. He'd eaten five already, plus three helpings of rice and beans. "You threatened to castrate the guy who stood her up. I thought that was an interesting conversation."

"He was a little punk ass kid, okay? And mom had already offered first."

"Only after dad asked if Mark needed an exorcism or a 'friendly talking to'." Allie used air quotes on the last three words, then added a little more guacamole to her plate. "Mark was his name."

At least Allie wasn't using the kid's real name, though the evening had gone as she said. The boy had stood her up, her parents and brother had made sympathetic murmurs, and Dean had dropped her off at the school when she'd decided she still wanted to go.

Young Jack wiggled in his chair. "Mommy? What's castrate mean?"

Jo quickly took a bite of food so she didn't have to be the one to answer.

"We'll talk about it later," Dean told him.

"Okay. What's a punk ass, daddy?"

Older Jack cleared his throat and seemed embarrassed. Both he and young Jack had dismantled their tacos and put them back together again with the toppings inside the tortillas and the fish separate on the plate.

Abby quirked a brow at him and again wondered where Castiel was. Ellen had said something about him needing to run a quick errand.

"It's a slang term for an idiot," Dean replied, holding up the sour cream container. "Did you fill the full fat sour cream container with the no fat stuff, Jo?"

"Why do you ask?" She didn't look up from her plate, carefully spreading homemade pico de gallo on one taco.

"Because this sour cream apparently expired three months ago. And it tastes funny."

"It's a misprint. I bought it two days ago."

"Did you now?"

She glanced up with an innocent expression. "I did."

Allie snickered.

For a self-described picky eater, Allie hadn't dismantled her food like Jack had. She also smeared the tortillas with liberal helpings of sour cream and guacamole. Privately, Abby thought that Allie was only a picky eater when it would most inconvenience everyone around her. She didn't actually have any of Dean's food aversions, though she claimed to.

"I like sour cream." Young Jack grinned at Abby. "Hi Abby. Merry Christmas. Why do you have a bloody nose?"

She touched her fingers to her nose. They came away bloody again. "Excuse me." Getting up, she found a tissue to hold against it.

"So, this dance you went to," Dean began. "You had a date? At, what, fourteen?"

"It wasn't like a date-date thing, more like a sort of date thing, but not really. You know, it was like a date."

Dean blinked a couple times. "Sure. Like a…date. What kind of dance was it?"

"Lame. So lame. The music was all this old stuff my parents listen to and the food was just gross. And then, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, this demon showed up -"

Jo chuckled and started coughing as the bite she'd taken started to go down the wrong way.

"- threw Principal Valerie across the room and made some statement about children and payback and blah, blah, blah. Why do they always talk so much? Then -"

Teenage Jack widened his eyes at Allie in warning, but she went on like she hadn't noticed.

" - my aunt and uncle crashed the dance and the gym blew up and -"

"That sounds about right." Dean's murmur was barely loud enough for even Abby to hear him.

"She's kidding." Jack tapped the fish with his fork. The more Allie ran her mouth, the faster that tapping got. "None of that happened except the kid stood her up."

"Kidding," came Allie's outraged shriek. "My hair got singed. I happen to like my long hair. I totally can't pull off short hair and I wish I could because it'd be so easier. I look like _you_ with short hair. Ugh." She made a fake puking noise.

She wasn't embellishing that part of the evening either. The gym had indeed blown up, but that hadn't been their fault. It had been the demon.

Young Jack watched them all with an interested expression. "What's singed?"

"Burned," Jo supplied.

Young Sean was still more interested in his food than anything else.

Around a mouthful of beans, older Sean asked, "are you remembering the same event we are? The demon taunted my dad. Your dad kicked it's ass. My mom tried to convince Principal Valerie it was a violent junkie who'd tossed her across the room and Aunt Jo made a weird comment about our family being death on school property. You remember none of that? Really?"

As Sean was speaking, Jack urged him to 'shut up' over and over, jaw clenching tighter with each utterance of the phrase, the slightest bit of panic in his eyes.

Abby smothered a snicker of her own. Here Jack was trying to keep them from finding out who they were and both Sean and Allie were ruining it because, together, they egged each other on.

Gwen's head whipped up, her attention caught by what Sean had said. "Did you just say 'your aunt Jo'?" She looked around the table and groaned at the three young guilty expressions. "Oh, hell no!"

"Hell, yeah," Dean told her and saluted her with his glass.

Young Jack looked at Jo with wide eyes. "Daddy and Gwen said hell!"

Jo sighed. "Hell isn't a curse word, sweetheart."

"Is too! Daddy said!"

Gwen sat back and stared at her son from the future as he shoveled in another forkful of food. Her gaze focused on the plate, then turned to his younger self, who continued to be more interested in the food than anything else. "Some things never change, do they?"

Across from her, Jody looked mildly confused by the entire exchange until Sam gestured at the teenagers. "Ours. A few years from now."

Her mouth opened and she managed a non-committal "oh", followed by an, "I see. That explains some things, like why it was so urgent I take the boys today." She held out her wine glass. "Some one want to fill me up here? I think I can take time travel better with some liquid assistance."

Ellen obliged her and poured a little more in her own glass. "I hear you on that one."

Jack's shoulders slumped. "You knew?"

Dean pointed a finger at him. "I am a lie magnet."

Sean put down the taco he was working on and snorted. "Not like Grandma Ellen. She's a _real_ lie magnet!"

Ellen smirked just a little at that. "Have I mentioned how much I love these family holidays?"

Teenage Jack sighed. "So all this juggling I've been doing to watch what I'm saying was for nothing?"

"Not for nothing. I'm sure Abby greatly appreciates your attempts. Now," Dean pushed his plate away and crossed his arms on the edge of the table, "what demon was it came to Allie's dance?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Course you can. Just say the name."

Sam cleared his throat. "Dean. You know he can't. Timeline and all that."

Jack's younger self got down from his chair and went to Jo, tugging on her shirt until she picked him up on her lap. He pointed at his older self and asked in a noisy whisper. "Is that me?"

Jo looked at Abby. "Can you take the kids in Sean's room while we discuss this?"

Dean was being relentless in his questioning. "Can you at least tell us it wasn't Crowley still hanging around? Or one of his minions? Or how about -"

"I don't want Castiel mad at me."

"Why would Cas be mad at you?"

"You've done time travel. You told me about it and told me to never do it."

"Here you are anyway."

"Not my call. And I don't want Castiel mad at me because he's my friend and he's protected me when nobody else could, not even you and mom, or Sam and Gwen. He's protected _us_, all of us, even you. We owe it to him and to Abigael to keep our damn mouths shut." He directed a pointed stare at his sister and cousin, both of whom had the grace to look even guiltier. "I've been tap dancing here to keep you from finding out things you shouldn't know."

She could tell that everything he'd said had only whet Dean's curiosity, but was Dean going to let it go?

"I know." Dean nodded. "I get having to do the lie thing on this. Believe me, Sam and I both get it."

"I know! That's the thing! I know you know and how did you do it? How did you keep from telling too much?"

Abby made a last dab of her nose. The bleeding appeared to have stopped again. She tossed the tissue in the trash and returned to the table. "I think that's a great idea, Jo. I'll take the boys in Sean's room."

As she closed Sean's door behind them, she heard Gwen ask why she was the last one to know.

* * *

"I want to go down there."

Castiel suppressed a sigh. Uzziel, upon finding out there were future Winchesters on earth, wanted to go down and meet them. "You're needed up here."

"Why? Everything you organized is going well."

"Yes, but it all depends on you keeping it orderly."

Uzziel frowned a moment, then shook his head. "No, it's Jael who's making certain each event is going according to plan. I delegated."

I never should have come up to make sure there weren't any problems, he thought. I should have accompanied Ellen and Sean to the house and joined their dinner. If I had, then Uzziel never would have heard about the children being here.

It had been a mistake filling present Abby in on the details anywhere near where Uzziel was. "You only want to see Ellen again," he accused, because it _could_ be true. If he could get Uzziel onto denying that -

"Of course I do. She's a wondrous woman. I adore her. Everyone knows I adore her. I admit it freely. Did I tell you I've been getting a surprise ready for her for when she comes up here in the future? I've located her husband in heaven."

"Have you?"

"I have. I've been searching for awhile in my free time. She'll be thrilled. I can't wait to take her to him some day. He seems like a good man." He wasn't to be distracted from his idea however. "So, these Winchester children -"

"You can't go down there."

"You haven't given me a good reason not to." He crossed his arms. "I could just go. You couldn't stop me."

While Castiel cast a desperate glance around them, no one seemed interested in extricating him from this situation. Even present Abby was ignoring him to debate the history of the use of mistletoe with Jael. At least Balthazar and Atropos weren't present. Having them there would really be a disaster. Castiel decided to try another tactic. "Will you stay here as a favor to me? I'll owe you later if you agree to stay."

Uzziel mulled it over. "I do have a few changes I'd like to run past you later. If you owe me a favor, you may let me cash it in on one of them."

"Yes, I may."

After another few minutes of Uzziel going back and forth talking about the benefits of Castiel owing him in return, he nodded. "Very well. I'll remain here, but I wish a meeting with you in the new year. I'll have Jael contact your secretary to set up an appointment."

It'd give his secretary something to do anyway. He didn't tend to use her services. She spent most days reading various tomes in the library. "I look forward to it."

As soon as he could, he slipped back down to the house.

* * *

While Dean's curiosity was about as high as it could go, he really did understand what Jack was going through. There were many things the kids shouldn't tell them and who knew exactly what of the things they'd said so far were lies? Could be all of it or some. Could be bits and pieces in mostly true stories. They had a lot to think about later, though.

Sam copied Dean's pose and chuckled. "How did we do it? What makes you think we succeeded?"

The comment blew some of the steam from him and Jack's mouth opened. "You didn't?"

"It's not easy," Dean told him, noticing that Castiel had suddenly appeared across the room. "Things were said, other things happened, and there was some angelic interference. You did your best. So…. Who wants to tell us all about some of those big bads we face soon? Sean? Allie? Gwen, can you reach that pen and pad of paper over there?"

Rather than get the pen and paper, she began stacking plates.

"Dean." Jo shook her head. "You're not interrogating our children about future events we're not supposed to know about."

"Won't change anything even if you did." Sam's expression was mildly amused, glance flicking to Castiel. "You know they're going to wipe our minds of this visit anyway. It's what they do."

"Not always." Dean looked at Castiel, waiting for his answer to that.

"You understand the reason we do," Castiel said, coming to the table. "You all understand. There are things you shouldn't know." After a moment of what looked like indecision, he reached over and touched Allie, then Sean's foreheads. Their mouths moved, but no sound came out.

Allie crossed her arms and pouted, while Sean shrugged and grabbed the plate of leftover tacos before Gwen could take it away.

"Did you just put them on mute, Cas?" Ellen frowned.

"It's temporary. It'll wear off shortly."

Reluctantly, Dean let his curiosity go. He made a mental note for future reference that if he needed information, just get Sean and Allie together in a room and let them talk. "Fine. Spoilsports. We all done eating? Then let's get this cleaned up and just chat about nothing that can get any of us into trouble."

"Everything we talk about will get us into trouble." Gwen carried plates into the kitchen and returned for more.

Jody sat back and sipped her wine. "Perhaps the adults should do the talking. Discuss current cases."

"I'm totally on board with that." Jack got to his feet and began to help Gwen.

When the table was cleared, dishes done, and Sean finally finished eating, Dean let Sam, Ellen, and Jody carry the conversation. Studying the kids, Dean found the oddest lump in his throat. He looked at Jo. She glanced at Jack and Allie and raised her brows. He nodded in response and shared a relieved smile with her.

They were going to grow up just fine.

* * *

**In the Future:**

As the minutes turned into hours of casual conversation, with no hint of anything going wrong, Gwen relaxed. She watched Aaron as covertly as possible and was relieved to see no devious turn in anything thus far. He spent much of the time talking to Sam, appearing glad to have found him of a similar intellectually curious bent as himself. In fact, she decided there was a bit of similarity between them.

She sat beside Sam on the couch, between him and Bill, listening to the various conversations going on. Sam, Dean, and Jo were determined to condense years of their lives for the men. Gwen even found herself getting pulled into conversations. Bill especially was good at drawing her out. Watching Sam and Dean interact with John and Jo interact with Bill, she started to feel like she understood her family better, and how they'd all been shaped by their childhoods.

She'd been shaped as well. Who would she be today if Aaron had been the one to raise her? A different woman, certainly. Perhaps none of her life would have happened. She wouldn't have met Sam and Dean, Jo and Ellen, or many other people. Or perhaps she would have.

Aaron _had_ shaped her childhood, she realized. It hadn't been directly with his involvement, yet his actions had shaped her life.

Looking across at him, Gwen mentally dissected his features and, in slow degrees, began to see him in herself. The set of her eyes was his, though her eyes were more like Mia's. That crooked sideways smile she did from habit was his as well. There was a physical resemblance, not great, but there when she looked for it.

It'd do a world of good to clear things up, yet now that she was reaching the acceptance point, Gwen wasn't sure how to start. What did she ask first? What did she really need to know?

Looking down at her lap, she mentally prepared herself to ask him something, anything. It was time to stop being silly.

When she looked up, he wasn't there. Her heartbeat grew faster for a panicked second as she thought she'd waited too long, until she realized that Bill and John were still there so the spell wasn't over, so where was he? The bathroom door was open, so he wasn't in there, and she got up, moving to the kitchen and glancing in. He wasn't there either. Gwen paused the music that had been playing. She waited until Dean and Sam were done with their story and said, "Hey guys? Where's Aaron?"

* * *

There were things Castiel expected from certain people. He expected Dean to do anything for his family and be thoughtful in odd ways, Sam to discuss serious matters with him, and Gwen and Jo to keep him in the loop of things that were happening. He expected the children to cause trouble if left alone because they were their parents' children, and, after having had years to study his journals, he expected Aaron Bennett to do exactly what he was doing.

Staying out of sight, he followed the man when he eased from the group and went into the basement. Castiel watched him closely and, when the time was right, he acted.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Collision  
Chapter: Seven  
Summary: AU: After the birth of Dean and Jo's daughter, the present Winchester family baby sit some strangely familiar teens while their future counterparts endure a rather unorthodox family visit. Part of the "Lost and Found" series.  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke. No disrespect is intended with this work of fan fiction.  
Notes: Thank you for reading!

* * *

**In the Future:**

"So, we're on our knees, desperately trying to get the carpet put back in place after painting devil's traps in front of each possible entrance to Sean's room before Gwen and Jo get back with the kids, and who should walk in, but Gwen and Jo." Dean gestured at them. They hadn't planned that day, but Sam had been having nightmares about something coming for Sean.

Sam chuckled. "Gwen, arms full of squirming child, looks at me and says 'wouldn't this have been easier to do before he was born?' and Dean replied -"

"When have you known us to ever do things the easy way? They were a little early getting back."

"Only a couple hours," Jo said. "But I tell you, if we'd ever had either business go bad, Dean and Sam could have made a living installing wall-to-wall carpet. You can't even tell they'd taken it up."

Gwen cleared her throat. "Hey guys? Where's Aaron?"

Bill looked around. "He was here."

Jo sat up and sniffed. "Um…dad…did Aaron…" She made the universal gesture for smoking pot.

"Not that I know of and somehow I doubt he showed up here with any on him."

"Then what's that smell?"

Sam sniffed and got to his feet. "That's coming from downstairs."

Gwen had already disappeared through the kitchen door.

Was there any way this wasn't the trouble he knew they'd all been expecting? Dean was the last one downstairs.

Their supply cabinet was open and Aaron was standing over a small symbol he'd painted on the floor. He had a knife and was crouched with hand over the symbol, knife ready to slice. Herbs and other ingredients were in a small bowl, a thin stream of smoke drifting up from them. Aaron glanced up as they approached. "Hi."

Dean took a step towards him, and another, until he was at the front of the group. "What are you doing?" It was getting to where they needed to repaint that particular spot on the floor about weekly now.

"Me? I'm not leaving. I'm going to stick around awhile. I reworked the spell that brought us here, made a few more changes."

"Why?" He knew the answer to that, but wanted Aaron to say it and think through it, a thing he was obviously bad at doing. Maybe time would run out before he could finish the spell, though Dean didn't expect that t happen. Not with their usual luck.

"Because I'm not ready to go." Aaron lowered the knife and stood in a smooth movement. "I wasn't ready then and I'm not ready now. I'm sure John and Bill would like more time, too, maybe actually meet the grandkids. I know I'd like to."

Bill stepped up beside Dean. His voice was cautious and careful. "This isn't our time, man. We got out a long time ago and, honestly, I'm fine with that. I can wait to meet everyone in the great beyond."

"Me, too." John moved up on Dean's other side. "It's nice seeing our kids, but I don't want to do this job again and you know if we stay, we will. We'll all get sucked back in."

"Seeing our kids," Aaron repeated. "Nice for you and Bill, John. You've had a good visit. You got to have those last conversations no one ever really gets to have. Me? Mine thinks I'm bad and evil. Tainted maybe. Won't even talk to me. Barely looks at me and I need time to prove to her that I'm none of those things. I need to prove to her that it's okay to, I don't know, to _like_ me a little. I don't expect her to love me like your kids love you because I wasn't the father who raised her, but I'd like to at least talk to her. I'm a man who did what he had to do and maybe things didn't turn out perfect." He shrugged. "You think I didn't know about the consequences for some of those things I did?"

He was talking to Gwen now, attention shifting to her, and Dean winced a little to see tears on the man's face.

"That creature, the soul stealer, it killed Bill's parents. I wanted it to pay for that. I wanted it to be so bound that it couldn't ever get free again. Could _you_ have anticipated a bomb in the building next door, Gwen? Or would you have thought all those layers of protections would hold for a very long time?"

"You used demonic blood magic," she replied. "That's a line you shouldn't have crossed."

"You've never done anything questionable?"

She didn't reply, looking down at the ground.

Dean knew she had to be thinking of a dozen times at least where she'd done questionable things. They all had and some even recently.

Aaron licked his lips. "I'll admit I was wrong to use it. I never used demonic blood magic in anything else ever again. And using the trickster was an act of desperation. Can you understand that? You have a child. Would you have done something similar if you thought you could save him? _Have_ you done something similar, because, this life, I know how it is. The Campbells, they were always moving around to try to stay ahead of things. There's always something coming at you. At least it's not your husband."

Gwen looked back up.

"I had one thought in my mind, Gwen, and that was saving your life and getting you to safety. I'd thought the box would help, but there wasn't time to flip it open. She just…." He swallowed hard. "Why do you hate me? Why…." He gave another shrug, this one helpless. "I can't go back if this is it. Whatever you may think of me, I'm proud of the woman you've become and the life you have. If I'd done anything less than I did at any time, you may not have even existed at all. I can't regret the path that led, eventually, to you. I can't and I, at least, am glad I got meet you. I'm glad I got to see that you lived and have a good life." Now, he sighed. "But I'm not going back until we talk."

With a tiny sigh of her own, Gwen gave a shrug that was as helpless in nature as his had been. "I don't hate you. I don't. I actually see a lot of Sam in you. It's…interesting for me to notice that because you didn't raise me. I didn't know you. I didn't have your example to weigh men against, not like Jo, who chose Dean who is pretty much like her dad. I would've thought I'd choose someone like Neal, but I didn't. I found a man like you."

Dean glanced at Bill and found him looking right back at him, as confused by the comparison as he was. "We're nothing alike. What are you talking about?"

Jo patted his arm. "Let me list the ways…. Later."

Sam's voice came from directly behind Dean. "You're not the only one who's done some questionable things, Aaron. You should hear some of the things I've done in the past."

"Me, too." John put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "You want to talk doing something questionable to save your kid? I think all of us in this room know what that's like."

"We do." Gwen uncrossed put her hands in her pockets. "Aaron…dad…I don't hate you. I don't. For a very long time, you were a name and a picture, and then you were actually here. How do I deal with that? How do I see a father in a man I don't know and don't remember? You remember me, but I don't know you."

"You talk to him," Aaron said, knife lowering further. "That's how you deal. You don't ignore him. You ask him everything you want to know. We've wasted all these hours."

"Okay. Let's go talk now."

He shook his head. "Let me just finish this first and then we'll have hours and hours. Days, actually. Maybe even a few weeks. I'm not entirely sure of the timeframe."

"Oh, for crying out loud." Jo pushed in front of them all. "Do you have any idea what completing this spell would do?"

"Besides give us more time to get acquainted?"

"Yeah. Besides."

"Not one idea. Why?" He didn't even appear concerned by that and Dean blinked at the stupidity of that. Aaron may be a smart man in many ways, but on this he was spectacularly dumb.

"Doesn't that seem reckless? Dumb, even?" Jo gave voice to Dean's own thoughts and snorted. "You're a smart guy, Aaron. Think about it. If you do this, you upset balances and we personally know someone who won't be too happy about that. In fact, he gets rather pissy about the so-called delicate balance of the earth."

"She's right," Dean informed him. "You don't want Death coming down here, especially after what we all went through to correct that balance."

"I'm already dead. What's Death going to do to me?" Aaron brought the knife up and, before anyone could do a thing, ran the blade across his palm and dribbled blood on the symbol.

Dean waited for anything that'd indicate the spell had worked.

Aaron frowned and knelt, squeezing his fist so a tiny bit more blood dropped on the symbol. "That's weird. We should have felt it. It should have worked. Why didn't it?"

"Because I slightly changed three of the symbols when your back was turned, completely changing the use of the spell. All you did was change the temperature in here by one-sixteenth of a degree." Castiel appeared, leaning against Dean's workbench, his arms and ankles crossed. "I'm sorry. You couldn't be allowed to complete the spell, Aaron. That whole balance thing they mentioned." His bright blue gaze slid to Gwen. "Gwen, you've been ridiculous on this matter. Speak with him or you'll regret it. You all have approximately half an hour left. The children will be returned once the spell is finished. I suggest you say whatever you have left to say and make your goodbyes."

Gwen and Aaron went up first, followed by Sam and Bill, then Jo and John.

Dean was the last to start up the stairs, pausing a moment to look back at Castiel. "Cas saves the day."

"I've had some practice over the years."

"You're getting better at that."

"You've been a good teacher." He pushed off from the workbench. "I've got angels standing by the follow their souls back to heaven. We'll know where they're all located, Dean. Even Aaron. When it's time, you'll all be able to see them easily."

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Dean."

"You headed off to collect everyone?"

"I am. This time, will you please not turn your back on him?"

"The man moves like a wraith."

Castiel chuckled. "Watch him," he cautioned and disappeared with the fluttering of wings.

Dean gave the symbols on the floor a long glance, murmuring, "One sixteenth of a degree. Cas, you're awesome," before going upstairs for half an hour of fast talking and goodbyes.

* * *

**In the Present and then the Future:**

Castiel thought to himself that he was going to need to go to Jo first and explain both the need and plan to wipe their memories of the visit. He explained it to his past self and knew he was clear in that, for his past self nodded.

"I understand."

"Jack as well."

"I know. I understand the necessity."

"Not Ellen."

"Why not?"

"Let's just say that she can keep it to herself better than anyone else."

He'd be returning approximately a few seconds before Abby brought the children back and readied himself for the jump forward.

"The future," his past self began, then shrugged.

"As it should be."

"Abby mentioned that the children were lying and she wasn't certain they were doing a good enough job of it on some matters."

He almost smiled. They'd done a perfect job of it, confusing the truth enough that whatever happened would be a surprise one way or another for all of the Winchesters. "They lied and lied about their lies and have confused everything. All is well. The incidents are over."

"With no further problems arising?" His past self seemed doubtful of that, as he should be. Further problems developing were normal and expected.

"None that weren't expected."

His past self put his hands in his coat pockets. "Does it ever get easier?"

"What do you think," he returned and scored a small smile.

"I think no. I think very little is easy with this family."

"Goodbye…self."

"Keep out of trouble."

"As much as I always do."

His past self snorted and walked towards the house.

Castiel slipped forward in time and, as he touched down back in his own time, he knew he'd ignored his own orders.

His past self had not deviated from the somewhat thorny path of leaving those memories intact.

He'd known it was necessary, yet when he'd gone to Jo as he'd intended, she'd been waiting for him in Allie's room, rocking the infant gently. She'd been crying, face wet with tears, and looked up at him, a single word on her lips: "Please."

In that word, he'd heard her desperation to hang on to the memory of their children mostly grown. He'd understood that he couldn't follow his own order to wipe their memories. They'd all needed that hope to hold on to.

He'd made an executive decision and apologized to, at the time, his future self. He'd bent, kissed Jo's forehead, and whispered, "Merry Christmas," leaving the adults with their memories.

That little thing didn't do much really. By the time Oberon decided to be a pest, all but Dean had forgotten about the time travel incident, that particular Christmas Eve not even being one of their strangest so far.

He materialized in the future beside Abby, out of sight of the family.

"They've all been scolded and Allie begged to open presents since it's just after midnight," she explained. "You know, we should have taken all of Aaron's journals away back then."

"Hindsight."

"Perhaps we should take them now."

"I'll discuss it with them later. It should be their decision." He crossed his arms. "You know, this could have been worse."

"That's not supposed to be our mantra, Castiel."

"No, but it's true."

She smiled and leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

Across the room, Dean looked up and around. "You back, Cas? Present time." He held up a package. "Come on out if you're back."

"I should join them," he told Abigael.

"Go on. You've earned a rest."

He materialized and moved towards the family, sitting on the couch and accepting the present Dean held out. Castiel reflected for a moment just how much he loved this family. He couldn't wait to see what the new year held for all of them.

* * *

**In the Present:**

Dean was up late, having a last drink before bed. Jack was asleep against him, and Jo had already gone up to bed. In the baby monitor, he could hear Allie stirring in her crib. He also heard the faint sounds of Gwen and Sam talking in their room.

Reaching over, he turned out the lamp so that the room was only lit by the lights from the tabletop tree. He sipped his drink, waiting for Castiel to join him. It wasn't long, Cas pouring himself a drink and sitting beside him on the couch.

"Helluva Christmas," Dean commented, glancing askance at him.

"It was eventful."

"Understatement, Cas." He swirled the liquid in the glass. "How long do I have to remember my kids as teenagers?"

"How long do you want to have?"

He adjusted the blanket on Jack. "I'd like to think about it right up to those days, try to figure out what they were lying about."

Castiel slid down a little on the couch cushion, leaning his head back against it. "Everything, Dean. They lied about everything, or so my future self assured me. Then they lied about their lies until you have no way of knowing what the truth of it is or what the future actually holds except them alive and well."

"I figured that. Isn't it against the angel rules to let us keep the memories?"

"Not technically. Since you have no way of knowing the truth, you have no reason to change anything in the way you'll raise them."

Good. He wanted to remember Jack looking so adult and yet young and vulnerable at the same time. And Allie, sulking in her seat with Jo's annoyed expression. "How's the party upstairs going?"

After a long drink, Castiel said, "I owe Uzziel a favor."

"Uh-oh."

"That is certainly an 'uh-oh'. I think next year we'll have a quiet celebration."

"Good luck on that. That's like us saying we're going to have an uneventful vacation."

They clinked glasses. Dean drained his and set it aside. "I'd better get Jack put to bed." Carefully, he gathered the boy up into his arms and stood. "Be here for presents in the morning?" He was sort of excited for Castiel to open his. They'd gotten together as a family and decided he needed another option in outerwear. They'd splurged and bought him a really nice lined leather jacket. Dean thought he was going to like it. It had enough pockets for whatever he needed to carry around with him, from his angel blade to whatever book he was reading these days.

"Should I be?"

"You're family. What do you think?"

"Then…of course. I'll be here. Good night, Dean."

"See you in the morning." He tucked Jack in bed and went to bed himself. For once, his dreams _were_ good ones. He dreamed of the future, and of this life he'd once thought he'd never have.


End file.
